Frank Mojah Dzuwa
FCB Nyasa Big Bullets coach Peter Mponda is finding the going to be hard in the league after he suffered a shocking third defeat at home in the hands of Blue Eagles.
Today’s defeat at Kamuzu Stadium came with a cost as he has failed to close the game between them and league leaders Mighty Wanderers who dropped points yesterday away to Moyale Barracks.
This means Wanderers are comfortable at the top with a 6 points lead but Bullets have one game in hand.
Despite coming off the high of winning the Airtel Top 8 just last week, Bullets looked far from their best. From kickoff, Bullets struggled to find clear chances, it was difficult to break Eagles’ midfield let alone the defence, and only created one scoring opportunity in the opening half with no shot on goal.
The visitors took full advantage of Bullets’ sluggish start. With sharp transitions and confident passing out from the back, the Area 30 outfit slowly grew into the game.
Standout performers such as Sankhani Mkandawire, Levison Mnyenyembe, and Trouble Banda dictated the tempo and consistently probed the Bullets defence.
Sensing the urgency, Mponda made three changes at the start of the second half, bringing on Babatunde Adepoju, Hassan Kajoke, and Henry Chiwaya to replace Maxwell Phodo, Peter Banda and Dominic Musonda.
However, even with fresh legs, Bullets’ game plan remained passive, leading to growing frustration among the home fans.
Blue Eagles capitalized on the continued disorganization from the hosts. In the 75th minute, coach Declerk Msakakuona introduced Sholiga Stambuli and Francis Maloya in place of Tonic Viyuyu and Levison Mnyenyembe.
The substitution proved to be a masterstroke. Just three minutes later, Stambuli sparked a brilliant move in midfield, combining with Mecium Mhone before setting up Laurent Banda. Banda unleashed a powerful strike that beat Bullets goalkeeper Innocent Nyasulu, sending the visiting bench and fans into a frenzy.
Bullets had a late chance to salvage a point when Ephraim Kondowe found space in the box, but his effort rattled the upright. The entire match, Bullets had one shot on goal while Eagles had four.
Speaking after the match, a disappointed Mponda did not mince words about his team’s display.
“Very disappointing performance, a very painful loss. The way we played today—we did not turn up,” Mponda lamented.
In contrast, Eagles’ Msakakuona expressed delight with the result.
“We’re very happy with the performance. Getting all three points against a side like Bullets is not easy. We’ve now got momentum as we go into our last two games of the first round.”
Following this victory, Eagles have moved up to 4th place with 23 points from 13 games, while Bullets remain in 2nd place with 27 points from 12 games.
Lineups:
Bullets
Innocent Nyasulu, Blessings Mpokera, Frank Willard, Chikumbutso Salima, Peter Banda, Dominic Musonda, Ephraim Kondowe, Wongani Lungu, Maxwell Phodo, Andrew Jovinala, Paul Master
Blue Eagles
Joshua Waka, Gilbert Chirwa, Sankhani Mkandawire, Micium Mhone, Tonic Viyuyu, Ian Chinyama, Ganizani James, Trouble Banda, Laurent Banda, Levison Mnyenyembe, Christian Maluwa
