Frank Mojah Dzuwa
Coach Peter Mponda has today lost his second Blantyre Derby at Kamuzu Stadium after a frustrating 3-0 demolition to their old rivals Mighty Wanderers.
The defeat means that Wanderers have managed to collect all six points over Bullets after a 1-0 victory in the first round at the same venue.
The last time Wanderers collected all points over Bullets was in 2011 when Wanderers won 2-1 in the first round before repeating the same goal margin in the second round.
Since then, Wanderers have won once in the league over Bullets which came in 2021 when Wanderers won 1-0 through a Vincent Nyangulu lone goal.
Former Bullets coach Kallisto Pasuwa only lost once to Wanderers in the league since 2018 when he joined the team.
This means that coach Mponda is yet to score past Wanderers since he re—joined Bullets in January 2025 and he has conceded four goals.
About today’s match
On Saturday, the two rivals met again and once more, Wanderers proved dominant—hammering Bullets 3–0 in front of a packed Kamuzu Stadium.
It was the first time in many years that Wanderers beat Bullets with such a wide margin. Today they repeated the December 2010 record when Bullets lost to Wanderers 3-0 in the league.
Early Pressure from Wanderers
The Nomads started the match on the front foot, with Blessings Mwalilino, Isaac Kaliati, Rajab Nyirenda and Muhammad Sulumba combining well in attack.
In the 20th minute, Wanderers midfielder Wisdom Mpinganjira picked up an injury and was replaced by Adam Wallace—who made an instant impact, scoring with his first touch to give Wanderers the lead in the 22nd minute.
Mponda responds with early substitutions
Sensing danger, Mponda made double changes in the 34th minute, bringing on Mike Mkwate and Wongani Lungu for Paul Master and Hasan Kajoke.
However, the changes failed to change the game’s momentum as Wanderers continued to dominate possession and create chances, though strikers Mwalilino and Sulumba failed to capitalize on several opportunities.
At halftime, Wanderers led 1–0, having won five corner kicks compared to Bullets’ one.
Second-Half Brilliance from the Nomads
Bullets made two more changes at the start of the second half, introducing Babatunde Adepoju and Henry Chiwaya for Khumbo Banda and Ephraim Kondowe, respectively.
Wanderers also made a tactical switch, with Blessings Singini replacing Sulumba in the 55th minute—a move that proved decisive.
In the 75th minute, Singini unleashed a powerful strike that beat the Bullets goalkeeper Innocent Nyasulu to make it 2–0. As the game neared its end, Singini was not done yet as he completed his brace in the 82nd minute after a defensive mix-up between Andrew Jovinala and Nyasulu.
By full time, Wanderers had outplayed their rivals, registering two corner kicks in the second half while Bullets managed just one. The only booking of the match went to Adam Wallace in the second half.
Speaking after the match, a disappointed Mponda admitted his side did not deserve anything from the game.
“First, I must give credit to coach Bob [Mpinganjira] and his team. They played good football, and they deserve to win. The way we played today, I don’t think we deserve anything from it. Congratulations to them,” said Mponda.
In response, Mighty Wanderers head coach Bob Mpinganjira praised his players’ determination and said the victory would boost their confidence for the remaining league matches.
Following the win, Wanderers have reduced the gap at the top to just one point. They now sit second with 48 points from 20 matches, while Bullets remain top with 49 points from 21 games.
