The possibility of a Blantyre Derby final in the Castel Challenge Cup is over as holders FCB Nyasa Big Bullets crashed out of the semifinals after falling short in the penalty shootout against Mzuzu City Hammers, following a 0-0 stalemate at Kamuzu Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
Bullets had entered the semis courtesy of a 3-1 win over MMF Marines while Hammers beat Karonga United 3-1 on penalties to set up a semifinal showdown between the two top-flight teams.
Hammers’ goalie Chancy Mtete was the hero of the afternoon for his daring saves, which included saving two penalties that helped his team sail through.
With Bullets boasting one crown in the competition, Hammers were only trying to push for their second final appearance since the 2021 season. This clash was befitting of a “David and Goliath” tag.
But the battle didn’t come to life in the first half as the visitors were happy to sit back and absorb pressure, forcing Bullets to circle their box without penetration.
However, despite Hammers closing the spaces, Bullets created plenty of goal-scoring opportunities. 13 minutes into the match, Ephraim Kondowe was released to the left side of the penalty box, and he forced Mtete to make his first serious save for a corner kick, which the visitors easily defended.
In the 20th minute, Bullets had all the time in the world to punish Hammers when Precious Phiri found Maxwell Phodo in the offensive zone. The attacker had two other players on his two sides against two defenders who were outnumbered, but Phodo decided to take things into his own hands by firing at the goal instead of just setting his teammates, who placed themselves in a good shooting position.
At this moment, the Mzuzu-based side was yet to test Richard Chimbamba in goals for Bullets, but on the other side, Lloyd Aaron’s shot was blocked by Chikumbutso Henderson for a corner kick which was easily defended by Hammers.
Time was ticking very fast for the Bullets, who were now showing some signs of frustration in a desperate bid for a goal, but Mtete was outstanding as he completely shut the door for the hosts.
With two minutes to go before the recess, Kondowe laid the ball to Aaron, who hit the side
There was a final chance in the last minute of the additional time when Wongani Lungu’s shot was saved by Mtete for yet another set piece which saw Phiri firing at goal, but Henderson was at the right time to block the goal-bound volley for another corner kick which wasn’t taken as referee Godfrey Nkhakananga blew his whistle to mark the end of the opening half.
The goalless first half gave Hammers a chance to cause an upset in the second half, but it must have frustrated Bullets and Pasuwa.
After the recess, Babatunde Adepoju was brought in for Phodo to try to increase the firepower in search of the much-needed goal.
The second half nearly got off to a perfect start for Bullets as Chikumbutso Salima unleashed a shot from a freekick that missed the upright with an inch for a goalkick.
In the 51st minute, Bullets’ penalty appeal was turned down by Nkhakananga, and from the rebound, Babatunde hit the post, a clear indication of a frustrating afternoon as Bullets kept on missing chance after chance.
Hammers’s game plan exposed the absence of someone like Alick, who can take shots from a distance when pockets of space are impenetrable.
As Bullets squandered their chances, the visitors almost capitalised in the 59th minute when Gerald Ngwira found Chimwemwe Chunga inside the penalty box. The goal mouth was clear, Chunga calmly controlled the ball before unleashing a thunderous shot that was saved by Chimbamba for a corner kick.
66 minutes into the match, Ernest Petro and Stanley Billiat came in for Wongani Lungu and Salima.
Bullets kept on pushing for a goal, but Hammers’ defence was very solid, dealing with every threat with calmness to keep the game at 0-0.
Akeem Abioye and Eric Kaonga came in for Yasin Rashid and Chunga.
With twenty minutes remaining, signs of penalties were clear, but Bullets kept on pushing to avoid the shootout.
Chawanangwa Gumbo came in for Singo in the 75th minute, but it was Hammers who came close to scoring in the 80th minute when Phiri was caught off-guard and allowed Abioye to win the ball, but he fired wide in a one-on-one situation with Chimbamba.
Mtete again proved to be the hero for the Mzuzu-based outfit, saving Kondowe’s attempted bicycle kick that almost went into the net.
Bullets had a final chance in the 88th minute. A freekick closer to the penalty box saw Aaron firing at goal, but his shot hit Henderson, and the ball landed favourably at Babatunde, who only needed a simple touch to slot the ball home. But, with Mtete already beaten, the striker fired wide. Everybody inside the stadium couldn’t believe it, so too, with the attacker who couldn’t believe that the ball failed to hit the back of the net.
Bullets brought in Collin Mujuru for Petro, perhaps preparing for the shootout as 90 minutes were already up.
The match was eventually decided on the lottery of penalty shootout where Mtete continued to reign supreme, saving Mujuru, and Billiat’s penalties to win 4-1 as Bayo Fatayo scored the winning spot-kick to send Hammers into their second cup final since 2021.
As for Bullets, this was another heartbreaking moment in the 2024 season as they failed to defend three trophies they won last season.
The People’s Team lost 4-2 on penalties to Blue Eagles to lose the FDH Bank Cup, finished third in the league to surrender the title to Silver Strikers, and on Tuesday, they lost to Hammers to exit the Castel Challenge Cup.
