By Moses Pedro Mwanza | 18th May 2022
Full-Time Scores From Nkoloma Stadium,
Red Arrows WFC 1-1 ZISD WFC (Mary Mambwe 90+3′ | Suzeni Evaline Katongo 84′)
Red Arrows Women Football Club’s quest to qualify for the 2021/22 FAZ Women’s National League semi-final play-offs hangs in the balance after they were held to a 1-1 draw by rejuvenated Zambian Institute for Sustainable Development (ZISD) Women Football Club in a rescheduled match week 3 played at Lusaka’s Nkoloma Stadium.
Going into this match, both teams needed an outright victory to secure qualification to the playoffs with only 2 points separating the two sides and bragging rights at stake.
Red Arrows were missing the services of their goal poacher Ochumba Lubandje who is nursing a shoulder injury while ZISD had their captain Lungowe Namasiku stretched off to the hospital in the early stages of the match after she was injured on her right shin.
However, it was a game of both halves and several scoring opportunities especially for Red Arrows though they were unlucky being denied the goal twice by the upright while ZISD’s best chance fell on the super substitute Thokozile Daka who had only Dianess Kasonka to beat Inside the 18-yard box but had her weak shot tamed.
ZISD’s mesmerizing midfielder Suzeni Evaline Katongo alongside her Arrows counterpart Mary Mambwe had arguably their best game of the season as both were impact players throughout the match and coincidentally they scored for their respective teams.
After an electric and entertaining 80 minutes of play with no goals from either side, Evarine Susan ‘Chisamba’ Katongo put the Kuchalo Girls in the lead after pouncing on a loose ball off the feet of Rudy Fanelly Zulu just outside the 18-yard box before she unleashed a scorching shot which went direct behind the back of the net beating Kasonka in goal for Arrows sending the Kuchalo faithful including the technical bench in wild celebration making it 1-0 to the visitors.
Just when everyone thought, ZISD was already in the playoffs, Mary ‘The Trickstar’ Mambwe had other ideas as she leveled the scores after beating the offside trap connecting well from a great setup pass from Mary Mulenga before she lobbed the ball above Precious Chido Dzingirai in goal to send the home team in frenzy celebration making it 1-1 just at the stroke of 90+3 additional minutes and that was enough as spoils were shared between The Air Ladies and Kuchalo Girls.
This result means that Red Arrows who have exhausted all their games are still second on the table with 31 points while ZISD who have a game to play is third with 29 points.
The second spot from this Zone will be decided on D-Day of the league as ZISD will host BUSA Queens at Independence Stadium in a must-win encounter and not even a draw will be enough for The Kuchalo Girls to make it to the playoffs instead that result will favor Red Arrows who will be second behind log leaders and winners, YASA Queens who have 35 points.
Green Buffaloes who are the winners of Zone A will face the runners-up in Zone B which is either Red Arrows or ZISD in one of the two semi-final playoffs set for 25th May 2022 before the final on 28th May 2022.
