Rachael Kaphaizi

FCB Nyasa Big Bullets’ recent struggles showed no signs of ending as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Ekhaya FC in a tense cup encounter. Fans came into the match hoping to see the People’s Team bounce back after the arrival of new head coach Wedson Nyirenda, but no changes as they keep wasting scoring chances.

In six league matches, Bullets is without a defeat but has registered four draws winning only two. Today at Bingu National Stadium they started a new chapiter with a different coach in the different tournament but the outcome was the same.

Ekhaya started the game with clear intent, pressing high and defending with discipline. Bullets found it hard to break them down. For 45 minutes the defending champions looked short of ideas in the final third.

Every time they worked the ball into a good position, the final pass or shot let them down. First half alone they created 7 scoring chances but missed them.

Ekhaya’s backline stayed compact and Bullets’ forwards failed to test the goalkeeper enough. At halftime, the scoreboard read 0-0 and worry was starting to spread through the stands.

The story changed just a minute after the restart. Bullets came out with more energy and purpose and it paid off immediately. In the 46th minute, a quick move caught Ekhaya napping and Bullets buried the chance through George Chaomba assisted by Maxwell Phodo.

The goal sparked hope that this would finally be the turning point. For a few minutes, the stadium believed the team was back to its dominant self. Passes were sharper and the crowd started to believe.

But Ekhaya refused to go away quietly. Instead of collapsing after conceding, they grew stronger. They kept pushing forward, making the Bullets’ defense uncomfortable with every attack. The pressure told in the 70th minute when Ekhaya found the equalizer by Allen Chihana who was outstanding during the match, hitting three shots on target for his side.

Once again, the defending champions failed to hold onto a lead and the same defensive lapses that have haunted them this season came back to hurt them. From that point, the game became end-to-end, but neither side could find a winner.

The match ended at 1-1, leaving Bullets with more questions than answers. It was another game where they showed flashes of quality, especially after halftime, but lacked the consistency to kill off.

Speaking after the match, Bullets assistant coach, Heston Munthali said he was satisfied with the team’s first half effort but admitted there’s work to do.

On the other hand, Ekhaya head coach Enos Chatama praised his boys for their fighting spirit and said they will go back to work on key areas so they can come back stronger in the next game.

The two will meet in the second leg on July 11 to settle their case in the Airtel Top8 and that match will decide the one to progress to semifinals.

Before the match, Blue Eagles hosted Civil Service United at the venue, a match that ended 0-0.