Austrian Bundesliga: Mutandwa becomes league’s joint top scorer in SV Ried victory

Kingstone Mutandwa continued an excellent debut campaign in the Austrian Bundesliga on Tuesday after the Zambian scored the eventual match-winning goal in SV Ried’s 2-1 victory over Grazer AK.

Kingstone Mutandwa! 🇿🇲🇿🇲🇿🇲

The Zambia national team forward is now joint top scorer in the Austrian Bundesliga after contributing the eventual game winner for SV Ried in a 2-1 victory over Grazer AK.

Mutandwa 🇿🇲 now has 13 goals in 25 Bundesliga matches this season. pic.twitter.com/AbTLFOuY7t

— Pan-Africa Football (@PanAfricaFooty) April 21, 2026

Consigned to the relegation group after finishing in the bottom half of the Austrian top flight table through 22 rounds, Ried remain undefeated through four rounds and are firmly in the race to qualify for a playoff to determine the league’s representatives in next season’s UEFA Conference League.

Now they top the relegation group with Mutandwa being a major reason. The Chipolopolo regular has feasted on the weaker defenses during this stage of the campaign, contributing four goals in relegation group matches. He now has 13 goals in 25 league matches this season, making him joint top scorer with Sturm Graz and Georgia national team midfielder Otar Kiteishvili.

 

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Ried are now at the midway point of the relegation group and a top-2 finish in the group will qualify them for the Conference League playoff. They have four more matches remaining with two fixtures at home.

Mutandwa’s breakthrough on loan in Austrian Bundesliga

For the Zambian, the ongoing campaign marks his breakout season in European club football. The former Atlético Lusaka forward spent time on loan in Israel before completing a permanent transfer to Italian club Cagliari in 2023. While showing some promise in Italy, he moved on loan to Ried and the 23-year-old is now enjoying regular playing time with an option for Ried to purchase permanently.

His success in Austria paved the way for a spectacular moment during the March FIFA window when Mutandwa got the nod up top in Zambia’s unprecedented friendly match against Argentina in Buenos Aires. The striker played for an hour and nearly scored in a 0-5 defeat to the world champions.

Mutandwa previously starred for the country’s under-20 national team, scoring at the 2023 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations after leading Zambia to the 2022 COSAFA U-20 Championship title.