Football fans of the two Blantyre giants FCB Nyasa Big Bullets and Mighty Mukuru Wanderers can brace themselves for the reality that one of the two giants will not be in the final of the country’s most prestigious knockout club competition, the FDH Bank Cup.
Kamuzu Stadium is in for a treat this Sunday, with these two perennial rivals getting in for a highly anticipated Round 16 blockbuster match where the winner will proceed to the quarterfinals.
This fixture comes a week after both teams dropped points in the TNM Super League, with Bullets losing 2-1 to Karonga United in Karonga while Wanderers played out to a goalless draw away to Mafco FC.
The two giants have had a mixed start to the 2024 campaign, especially Bullets, who won every domestic competition last season but are 16 points behind Silver Strikers in the championship race.
As for the Nomads, their high levels of inconsistency in the league saw them failing to close the gap between themselves and the Central Bankers who are now 11 points ahead of the Lali Lubani boys.
For Bullets, it’s about redemption after their bad start to their title defence, a title they have held for the last five seasons in a row which is slowly slipping away from them.
From the Nomad’s perspective, it’s about reviving their hopes of winning this competition for the first time since its launch in the 2021 season, having missed out on the cup in the last three seasons.
The immediate focus for Wanderers will be to advance to the final but they must first dismantle the defending champions who are not at their level best but can surprise their neighbours with a win as they are the masters of Blantyre Derbies.
Current form:
The defending champions go into this match straight from their 2-1 loss away to Karonga United.
Before this trip, they drew 1-1 with Civil Service United before beating FOMO FC 3-0 in the league.
It’s a bad start that even Pasuwa is surprised to see a team that won everything in the 2023 season, struggling for points in the current campaign where they have only won four games in fourteen matches, drawing eight times and losing twice.
As for the Nomads, they drew 0-0 with Mafco at Chitowe. Before this trip, they had lost 2-1 to Moyale Barracks at Sunday’s venue before bouncing back with a 2-0 win over Chitipa United.
Bullets semifinal winning streak over Wanderers:
The history between these old foes in knockout competitions is huge but the focus will be on the last twelve years in which Bullets have had more victories than their rivals.
In the last five semifinal matches between the two teams, Kalisto Pasuwa’s men have won it all.
In 2014, the two teams met in the semifinals of the then-Carlsberg Cup at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe. A first-minute strike from Jimmy Zakazaka was enough to inspire Bullets to a hard-fought 1-0 victory over their neighbours.
The two rivals met again in the semifinals of the Airtel Top 8 Cup in 2018 at Bingu National Stadium. Wanderers had plenty of opportunities in the first half which they missed.
In the second half, they were left to regret as two quick strikes from Bright Munthali and Chiukepo Msowoya sealed the win for Bullets despite a late consolation goal from Zicco Mkanda.
In the 2021 season, the two rivals met again at the same stage in the Airtel Top 8 Cup.
This time, Kamuzu Stadium was the venue. Once again, the semi-final curse haunted Wanderers when they lost a humiliating 4-1 defeat at the hands of their ruthless neighbours who progressed to the final to win the cup for the first time having lost to Blue Eagles in the 2018 final.
Pasuwa’s charges were not yet done with their rivals. In 2022, they met again in the semis of the FDH Bank Cup at BNS.
The match took place a week after Bullets’ exit from the CAF Champions League at the hands of Tanzanian giants, Simba SC.
The Nomads thought they were meeting Bullets in their lowest moments but, Bullets unleashed their anger on their hapless neighbours with a 4-0 hammering to advance to the final which they won after beating their junior team, 3-1.
Their last semifinal meeting was played at Kamuzu Stadium in the inaugural Castel Challenge Cup last season.
The first half ended 1-all and Bullets went on to beat Wanderers 4-2 on penalties.
Nomads’s cup victories over Bullets:
Wanderers were 5-4 winners over Bullets in the semis of the then Standard Bank Cup on 29 September 2012 at Civo.
The Lali Lubani side staged a comeback in the last seven minutes of the match through Cuthbert Sinetre who cancelled out Diverson Mlozi’s first-half strike to win on penalties following a Richard Chipuwa’s save to deny George Nyirenda from scoring.
In 2015, the two teams met again in the final of the Carlsberg Cup at the same venue where Wanderers had eliminated Bullets in the Standard Bank Cup.
The blue side of the town won 2-1 courtesy of a strike in each half from Victor Nyirenda and Kondwani Kumwenda, with Jafali Chande scoring Bullets’s consolation goal.
Their last cup victory over Bullets came in the 2022 season. Having already won the FDH Cup and the Super League, Pasuwa’s men targeted a treble when they faced Wanderers in the final of the Airtel Top 8 at BNS.
With nothing to show, the Nomads vowed to do everything to end the season with a trophy which they eventually won on penalties, beating their rivals 5-4.
The regulation time ended goalless and in the shootout, Kesten Simbi blasted his spot-kick over the crossbar, allowing Vincent Nyangulu to seal the victory with his last spot-kick.
That was Wanderers’s only silverware as they went the whole 2022 season without winning any trophy.
Bullets’ performance in the FDH Bank Cup:
The defending champions are the most successful team in the competition after winning it twice in a row since its launch in the 2021 season.
In the inaugural year, Bullets defeated the Reserve Team 5-4 on penalties following a 1-all draw in the normal time.
This was in the Round 32 of the cup. In the Round of 16, Bullets eliminated Mighty Tigers, beating them 2-0 to set a quarterfinal showdown against Silver in Lilongwe.
The match ended 4-2 on penalties in favour of The Central Bankers. The regulation time ended 2-2 and that was the end of the road for Pasuwa’s charges.
In the 2022 season, Bullets started their campaign with a 3-1 win over Sable Farming at Mulanje Park Stadium.
Their next opponent in the Round of 16 was Moyale Barracks at Kamuzu Stadium. This was a match and half as Bullets, on three occasions, gave away a lead to draw 4-4. The game had to be decided on penalties which Bullets won 4-2 to book a quarterfinal tie away to Chitipa United.
Bullets disposed of their opponents, beating them 2-0 to set up a clash against their cross-town rivals, Mighty Mukuru Wanderers at Bingu National Stadium.
This was a day in which Pasuwa’s men showed their neighbours no mercy as they hammered them 4-0 to advance to the final of the cup for the first time in its second edition.
Their opponents were Bullets Reserves. The first half ended 1-all but the senior team showed their dominance by scoring two quick second-half goals to beat the juniors 3-1 to win the cup.
In the 2023 season, Bullets started their title defence with a home tie against Ndirande Stars. The match ended 4-0 to advance to the Round of 16 of the competition.
Bullets beat Balaka FC 3-0 to reach the last eight which saw Pasuwa’s men travelling to Lilongwe to face Extreme FC at Civo Stadium.
Bullets had to come from behind in the final minute of the match to draw 1-all before sealing the victory through penalties, winning 4-2 to set up a semifinal clash against Dedza Dynamos at Kamuzu Stadium.
The semifinal tie ended 5-1 in favour of Bullets who, for the second time in a row, made it to the finals of the cup.
Their final opposition was Mafco FC. Bullets wasted no time to score two quick first-half goals before sealing the victory with their third goal to beat the Salima-based soldiers 3-0 to retain the cup.
In the current campaign, Bullets hammered Bangwe All Stars 5-0 to reach the next round where a massive showdown against Wanderers is in the offing.
Wanderers’ performance in the FDH Bank Cup:
In the inaugural year of this competition, Wanderers travelled to Mzuzu Stadium to face Karonga United in Round 32.
The regulation time ended 0-0 but the Nomads sailed through to the last 16 on penalties, beating their opponents 5-4 following Josiah Duwa’s miss from 12 yards out.
In the Round of 16, the Lali Lubani boys hammered Chitipa United 4-0 at Kamuzu Stadium to advance to the last eight of the competition.
Mafco FC was their next opponent in the quarterfinals. The match ended 2-0 in favor of the Nomads who had a semifinal date against Silver Strikers which they lost 3-0 at BNS.
In the 2022 season, the Nomads gave away a 2-0 lead to Kamuzu Barracks Reserves to force the game to penalties where they won 4-1 to reach the next round.
In the Round of 16, they travelled to Dedza Dynamos, a team that had knocked out the defending champions, Silver Strikers.
The Lali Lubani boys made no mistake in hammering their opponents 3-0 to advance to the last eight where Kamuzu Barracks was the next opponent.
Wanderers hammered the Lilongwe-based soldiers 4-1 to book a semifinal spot against Bullets, the first Blantyre Derby in the prestigious competition.
This match was played at BNS and Bullets showed their neighbours no mercy with a 4-0 thumping to reach the final, ending Wanderers’ dream of making it to the final for the first time in the knockout competition.
The third edition of the competition saw Wanderers beating Mpondas United 2-0 at Balaka Stadium in the Round of 32 to progress to the Round of 16 where Zingwangwa United was the next victim for the ruthless Nomads.
The Lali Lubani boys went on to hammer the non-league side 4-1
to book a place in the Last eight of the competition.
In the quarterfinals, Wanderers thumped Santhe Admarc 5-0 to reach the last four where they lost 1-0 to Mafco FC to continue their wait for this trophy.
In the current campaign, they beat Cobbe Barracks 3-0 to reach the Round of 16 where Bullets stand in their way to the next round.
