Nyasa Big Bullets thrashed Blantyre United 4-0 on Saturday to move within three points of leaders Be forward Wanderers who were humbled 2-1 away to Silver strikers.
Muhammad Sulumba scored a brace as Chiukepo Msowoya netted a contentious penalty with Mike Mkwate also making the scoresheet in front of a packed Chilomoni Stadium.
United were a force to reckon with in the first half as they created some good chances, the best falling for Ibrahim Sadik whose 6th minute shot forced a save from Bullets goalkeeper Rabson Chiyenda.
Chiyenda had the post to thank at the half hour mark when he was beaten by a Brown Mizeye header only to be saved by the woodwork.
Then came the controversial moment three minutes from halftime, when referee Evidence Kananji awarded Bullets a penalty after adjudging defender Aubrey Chafewa to have handled the ball, when it actually hit him on the belly.
United players protested against the decision halting the match for two minutes.
When play resumed Msowoya took responsibility from 12 yards out, sending goalkeeper Alex Makina the wrong way to put Bullets into a first half lead.
The second half was one way traffic as BB camped in United’s half asking one question after another.
Makina parried away Mkwate’s stinging shot on 48 minutes before making a double save to deny Sulumba.
Sensing danger, United coach MacDonald Mtetemera made three changes in quick succession, throwing on Tony Mbulu, Victor Nyirenda and Jimmy Chikulekule in place of the enterprising Sadik, Mizeye and Yusuf Lwanda.
But the changes paid no dividend as Bullets piled more pressure only to be kept at bay by Makina who was having a grand game on his United debut.
But when Sulumba came knocking again on 79 minutes, there was nothing Makina could do to stop him from doubling the lead as he connected home Kondwani Kumwenda’s neat cross from the right.
Six minutes later it was game over, with Mkwate intelligently planting the ball into the far post following a good pass from substitute Ernest Petulo.
A minute to full time, Sulumba was at it again to put an icing on the cake with the an absolute beauty against his former employers.
Fisher Kondowe’s cross from the right found him in motion just outside the 18 yard box, and he wasted no time to volley the ball home to the delight of an ecstatic sea of red.
Henry kabichi and Dave Banda were the other BB substitutes replacing Nelson Kangunje and Chiukepo Msowoya respectively.
In his post match interview with Malawi24, Bullets assistant coach Elia Kananji said: “We struggled in the first half because we followed their style of play, but at half time we told the boys to play our game and it paid off. We are now 3 points behind the leaders but we are not thinking of the title, we will keep focusing on every single game as it comes to see where that takes us to at the end of the season.”
However, United mentor Mtetemera had no kind words for the men in black.
“My boys were demoralised by the controversial penalty and failed to recover thereon. We had a good first half but that painful decision killed our tempo as it came just before recess. Its a shame for referees to mess up matches when you put in a lot of effort like we did.”
Saturday’s defeat was United’s 4th in the season’s second round in which their best result was a draw against Azam Tigers.
They remain dangerously stuck in 15th place,with 12 points from 20 fixtures, 8 points from safety.
Despite maintaining 3rd position on the table, Bullets have now cut the gap with leaders Wanderers from 6 to 3 points thanks to Silver’s victory over the Nomads . The league leaders however have a game in hand, to be played on Sunday against Blue Eagles.
