Like a wounded Lion ready to pounce on a warthog, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets rose to the occasion with an important 2-1 win over Mighty Mukuru Wanderers at Kamuzu Stadium on a hot Sunday afternoon to book a place in the quarterfinals of the 2024 FDH Bank Cup.
With Bullets struggling in the league following their 2-1 loss away to Karonga United last week, their neighbours thought they were meeting a side that had already given up and for the neutrals, they could see a highly motivated Wanderers ready to add more misery on the defending champions who won every domestic trophy last season.
It was a first half of costly missed chances from the hosts who were left to regret it as their opponents scored two quick first-half goals through Babatunde Adepoju to claim the bragging rights.
FCB Nyasa Big Bullets maintained their perfect record in cup competitions over Mighty Mukuru Wanderers when they beat their rivals 2-1 to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2024 FDH Bank Cup at Kamuzu Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
A first-half brace from Babatunde Adepoju was enough to inspire the ‘wounded’ Bullets to a hard-fought win after they lost 2-1 to Karonga United before the contest.
What happened…
The Nomads were the first to launch an attack through Clement Nyondo who set up Isaac Kaliyati closer to the penalty box but, the winger fired wide.
In the same minute, soon after regaining their territory, Bullets launched a stunning counter-hurricane attack through Lloyd Aaron who found Chikumbutso Salima on the right side of the field.
The winger made a sprinted run before sending a very dangerous cross into the box that saw Muhammad Kung’unde and his goalkeeper, Dalitso Khungwa colliding, allowing Babatunde to tap in from the close range, 0-1.
The lead should have been cut short in the 8th minute when Kaliyati delivered a very dangerous cross from a corner kick which caught Bullets defenders off-guard and the ball landed safely at Christopher Kumwembe who saw his shot hit the post and from the rebound, Nyondo failed to connect as Nyasulu made a timely clearance to keep Bullets in the lead.
Wanderers kept on dominating the match in terms of ball possession, controlling play and moving the ball around effortlessly.
From the 17th minute to the 20th minute, the Lali Lubani side had won three set pieces inside Bullets’ half, but they failed to capitalise as Bullets defended with everything to maintain their slender lead.
As Wanderers enjoyed possession, Bullets played a fast one on their neighbours when yet another counter-attack, through Salima, caught Wanderers’s defence napping when his through ball found Maxwell Phodo inside the penalty box.
The forward just laid the ball to Babatunde who wasted no time to fire the ball at goal, beating Khungwa to his near post, 0-2.
After this second goal, the momentum shifted as Bullets took control of the game, a grip they wouldn’t release until the final whistle. And unlike their rivals, they made that control count.
With Bullets leading, any mistake from the visitors would inspire Wanderers to be very offensive and they nearly pulled one back in the 30th minute when Salima handled the ball closer to the box.
Isaac Kaliyati, who has been scoring freekicks for, Wanderers, stepped up and saw his shot hit the side net.
At this moment, Wanderers kept on winning more set pieces closer to Bullets’s penalty box but they were unable to break Bullets’ back-four.
With 36 minutes played, Meck Mwase brought in Wisdom Mpinganjira and Thierry Same for Nyondo and Kumwembe to try to improve his attacking prowess.
In the 38th minute, another set piece to Wanderers saw Kaliyati stepping up only to be denied by Richard Chimbamba who produced a massive save to keep his team in the lead.
The final opportunity for Wanderers came in the 44th minute through yet another set piece closer to the penalty box. Kaliyati stepped up and curved the ball above Bullets’ defensive wall to hit the post and from the rebound, the ball landed favourably on Felix Zulu who blasted his effort over the crossbar for a goal kick.
After the recess, Mwase brought in William Thole for Khungwa who was making his first derby appearance since joining the club from Mighty Tigers a season ago.
Unlike the first half, the two teams slowed down, with Wanderers keeping possession but without any real penetration.
With 52 minutes played, Sama saw his long-range shot well saved by Chimbamba as the Nomads kept on pushing for the much-needed game.
60 minutes on the clock, the hosts were leading in terms of possession but Bullets had a two-goal advantage over their rivals. Blessings Mpokera came in for Mujuru who was also making his first time appearance since May this year.
For the next ten minutes, Bullets retreated and played too deep in their half while Wanderers pushed through Mpinganjira and Gaddie Chirwa, but any serious threat inside Bullets’ penalty box was well dealt with by the defenders.
The Nomads had a chance in the 68th minute when Kaliyati exchanged passes with Sama but the striker saw his weaker attempt easily saved by Chimbamba.
Mwase brought in Vincent Nyangulu and Mphatso Kamanga for Zulu and Kaliyati.
Sama, in the 72nd minute, pounced on Bullets with a powerful header that went straight to Chimbamba.
As Wanderers were pushing for a goal, the match was stopped in the 73rd minute due to unruly behaviour from some sections of the home fans who were pelting stones and objects in the field as they were protesting against Easter Zimba’s decision not to award Wanderers a corner-kick.
The play resumed with ten minutes wasted and it was Wanderers who capitalized in the 86th minute when Mapemba played Sama onside and the forward made no mistake to slot the ball home, beating Chimbamba who could only see the ball rolling into the net, 1-2.
This meant one thing; a nervous end to the last minutes of the match. Wanderers were now pushing, with Bullets defending too deep and almost pounced on their opponents with yet another counter-attack.
But Phodo’s pass bound for Babatunde was cut by Kung’unde to the relief of the blue and white side of the town.
90 minutes on the clock, ten minutes were added due to the delay. Wanderers had an opportunity to level when Zimba waved play-on to what looked like a foul on Mpokera.
Madinga made a run and crossed the ball into the box only to see Mapemba coming to Bullets’s rescue with a ‘game-winning’ clearance.
There was still time for Chimbamba to be called into action and he did well in the 96th minute when he rose to the occasion to deal with a dangerous cross from Stanley Sanudi.
The last minutes saw Bullets winning freekicks inside their half and after the end of the additional minutes, Zimba blew his whistle to send the Stadium into a massive celebration especially the red and white side of the town.
The win will see Bullets hosting Civil Service United in the last eight of the competition at Kamuzu Stadium.
At Karonga Stadium, Karonga United booked a place in the last eight after beating Dedza Dynamos 10-9 on penalties following a goalless draw in the regulation time.
The Northern Region-based side will travel to Chitowe to face Mafco FC.
