Mighty Mukuru Wanderers suffered their first home loss in the TNM Super League, falling 2-1 to Moyale Barracks at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre on Saturday.
Emmanuel Allan opened the scoring for Moyale on the 40th minute, with Wanderers equalising through Isaac Kaliati in the 91st minute.
However, Luke Chima’s header in the 93rd minute sealed Moyale’s victory and earned him the Man of the Match award.
Despite the loss, Wanderers remain second in the league standings with 21 points, while Moyale Barracks climbed to sixth place with 17 points.
Wanderers now trail league leaders Silver Strikers by eight points. Silver will face third-placed Kamuzu Barracks on Sunday at CIVO in Lilongwe.
Moyale’s coach, Pritchard Mwansa, emphasised the difficulty of securing the three points and expressed satisfaction with his team’s improvement after recent setbacks.
In contrast, Wanderers’ coach, Meke Mwase, lamented their missed opportunities despite dominating possession throughout the match.
Sports analyst Mwakhele Kaliande believes Wanderers made ineffective substitutions and praised Moyale for capitalising on their chances.
The defeat marks Wanderers’ third loss of the season and Coach Mwase’s first since taking over, following defeats to Silver Strikers and Mzuzu Hammers in May, which led to the departure of their former coach, Nsanzurwimo Ramadhan.
Elsewhere in Blantyre, at Mpira Stadium in Chiwembe, Mighty Tigers squandered a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 against MAFCO.
Daniel Shadreck and Masambiro Kalua scored late in the first half for Tigers, but MAFCO mounted a comeback in the second half with goals from Peter Kasonga, Mphatso Phillimon, and Auspicious Kadzongola.
Tigers’ coach, Leo Mpulula, expressed disappointment with his team’s loss of focus and said he could not talk much while MAFCO’s assistant coach, Jimmy Mzunga, acknowledged early errors and credited their halftime adjustments for the turnaround.
Despite the defeat, Tigers’ captain, Kelvin Banda, was named Man of the Match.
Tigers are currently ninth in the standings with 15 points, while MAFCO sit in 13th place with 13 points.
In the Northern Region, Karonga United moved to tenth place with 15 points after a 3-0 victory over FOMO FC, who dropped to 12th with 14 points.
In Lilongwe, CRECK climbed to fourth place with 19 points following a narrow 1-0 win over Bangwe All Stars, who are in 14th place with 7 points.
On Sunday, defending champions FCB Nyasa Big Bullets will face Civil Service United at Kamuzu Stadium, Chitipa United will play Baka City and Mzuzu City Hammers will take on Premier Bet Dedza Dynamos.