(VIDEO) Kingstone Mutandwa grabs hat-trick in SV Ried comeback win

Zambian striker Kingston Mutandwa scored a hat-trick for his SV Ried side that recorded 3-2 win over Altach in their Austrian Bundesliga encounter on Friday.

In the 25th round of the Bundesliga, SCR Altach visited Ried at the BWT Upper Austrian Arena. The visitors almost took the league when a cross from Rossdorfer’s found Bajic, whose shot was deflected and posed no threat.

However, Mutandwa finally pulled one back for the visitors in the 62nd minute, making it 2-1. Just a few minutes later, Steurer tried his luck down the left wing: the ball landed at Mutandwa’s feet, whose header went well wide.

Rheindorf Altach suffered a blow in the 58th minute when Malian striker Ousmane Diawara was sent off .

Mutwanda rounded off hat-trick from penalty spot

In the 69th minute, Mutandwa completed his brace to make it 2-2. After a cross from the left by Van Wyk, he headed the ball home to level the score. In the 78th minute, Ried again had a good attack after a throw-in from Maart – the ball was flicked on, but Stojanovic was there to make the save.

After 87th minutes, he was tested again by a long-range shot from Mutandwa. In stoppage time, a foul on Bajic was reviewed, and awarded as a penalty. Mutandwa took the honours to convert it, and make it 3-2 for his hat-trick.

The victory enabled Ried to cement their lead at the top of their Group A with 20 points from 25 matches. They have managed 10 wins, four draws, and suffered 11 defeats.

Mutandwa is on loan from Cagliari

Mutandwa plays for SV Ried, on loan from Serie A club Cagliari. He also plays for the Zambia national team. He played locally for Zambian side Atletico Lusaka, where he was regarded as one of the club’s most important players.

Mutandwa represented Zambia internationally at the 2023 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, and made his debut for the Zambia national team on June 11 2024 in a World Cup qualifier against Tanzania at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.

He substituted Evans Kangwa in the 87th minute, as Zambia lost 1-0.