…wins for Creck, Karonga United as Mafco, Songwe continue to struggle…
The intense rivalry between Mighty Wanderers and FCB Nyasa Big Bullets was on full display in a gripping contest, culminating in a hard-won 1-0 victory for Mighty Wanderers that narrowed the gap to two points with a game in hand.
The match served as a testament to the ‘Blantyre Derby’s’ unwavering popularity, as the stadium reached maximum capacity.
For Wanderers, it was a day that they wanted to end Bullets’s dominance over them while, on the other hand, Bullets came into this match looking to extend their unbeaten run to the 2025 TNM Super League season.
What happened…
Following a setback last week, when they conceded in the dying minutes to draw 1-1 against Silver Strikers, the pressure was palpable for the Nomads as they entered the field.
They were not just battling their opponents but also the weight of expectation from their ardent supporters who hoped for a decisive turn in their quest for the Super League title.
The atmosphere was charged with anticipation as the hosting fans, adorned in blue and white, clashed vocally with the vibrant red and white Chiefs.
Bullets’ ‘favourite tag’ backfired, as they were second best on the day after losing the midfield battle to the most organised team.
Nevertheless, the Derby lived up to its billing, especially for the Nomads who were angry and hungry for bragging rights.
As the hosts in the highly-anticipated encounter, the Nomads accelerated through their midfielders, dominating the midfield.
In the 9th minute, Bullets had a chance when Wisdom Mpinganjira committed a foul against Chikumbutso Salima in the offensive zone, allowing Wongani Lungu to attempt a freekick that was ultimately caught by Chancy Mtete.
Shortly thereafter, Wanderers capitalized on Bullets’ missed opportunity and scored a quick goal in the 11th minute.
Through a well-executed counter-attack, the hosts forced Bullets to concede a set piece, which Francisco Madinga played and caught the defence off-guard, enabling Blessings Mwalilino to score, making it 1-0.
This goal motivated Bob Mpinganjira’s men to relentlessly attack and push for more.
In the 18th minute, Innocent Nyasulu rescued Bullets by denying Blessings Singini a scoring opportunity with his powerful shot when the midfielder was given too much space near the penalty box for yet another set piece that Bullets defended.
The visitors’ inability to breach Wanderers’s robust midfield led to their disorganisation, as they faced considerable defensive pressure.
In response, Mponda executed a tactical substitution, introducing Frank Willard in place of Clyde Senanji, which led to Yankho Singo’s reassignment to defence.
At the thirty-minute mark, Chikumbutso Salima capitalised on a defensive mistake by Peter Cholopi and Stanley Sanudi to create an opportunity for an equaliser. However, his shot veered wide of Chancy Mtete’s goalpost, as no supporting players were present to capitalise.
The Nomads should have consolidated their lead in the thirty-seventh minute when Bullets conceded another set piece, allowing Madinga to locate Mpinganjira in a favourable position within the penalty area.
Nevertheless, Joseph’s intervention deflected the shot out of bounds, resulting in another corner kick that Babatunde Adepoju effectively defended.
The 44th minute presented Wanderers with a last-gasp opportunity, as Madinga found space to shoot, but Nyasulu’s impressive save thwarted the effort, a testament to his busy first half, in contrast to Mtete’s relatively quiet period.
The first half drew to a close with the home team holding a 1-0 advantage, having enjoyed the better of the opening 45 minutes.
Mponda made two changes at the interval, bringing on Henry Chiwaya and Chawanangwa Gumbo for Lloyd Aaron and Mike Mkwate.
Wanderers adopted a more measured approach in the second half, focusing on protecting their lead and catching Bullets off guard on the counter, cognizant of the opposition’s desire to equalize.
As expected, Bullets dominated possession, while Wanderers defended in numbers to cling to their slim lead.
At 58 minutes, Wanderers launched another counterattack through Gaddie Chirwa, but Nyasulu made a crucial save to prevent the winger from scoring.
When the set piece was played, Singini’s powerful header hit the post before Gumbo cleared it to safety, with Wanderers coming close to doubling their lead.
Wanderers made a double substitution by introducing Clement Nyondo and Masiya Manda for Chirwa and Promise Kamwendo.
At the other end, Chiwaya set up Salima on the far left, and the winger executed a perfect pass, but it was intercepted by Peter Cholopi for a corner, which the visitors squandered, highlighting their frustrating afternoon.
Bullets failed to mount a serious goal attempt, while Wanderers were clinical in their finishing and should have scored in the 65th minute, but Mwalilino’s goal was disallowed for offside.
In the 67th minute, Mponda substituted Ephraim Kondowe for Lungu to augment the attacking options.
In the 69th minute, Chiwaya’s corner found Kondowe inside the penalty box, and the forward connected well, only to see his goal-bound attempt cleared by Manda before Mtete made a crucial save.
To consolidate their lead, Wanderers substituted Emmanuel Nyirenda and Nanison Mbewe for Felix Zulu and Madinga in the 73rd minute.
Wanderers posed another threat when Nyondo played a one-two with Mpinganjira to release Mwalilino, who was about to shoot, but the second assistant referee’s flag was raised for an offside call.
Bullets made their final substitution of the day, replacing Mpokera with Yamikani Mologeni in the 82nd minute. Mologeni improved Bullets’ attack on the right side, but every delivery into the box was met by Cholopi, who was solid at the back for Wanderers.
Bullets had a chance in the 87th minute, but Mtete intervened with a save, successfully dealing with a hazardous cross from Molegeni.
Bullets’ last opportunity to level the score came in the 94th minute when Molegeni executed a brilliant run and delivered the ball into the box to Babatunde, who headed towards goal, only to be thwarted by Mtete, leading to a set piece that was well defended by the hosts.
After adding five minutes to the regulation time, Referee David Chinoko blew his whistle to mark the end of the match.
At Chitowe, Creck Sporting Club mounted a successful comeback, defeating Mafco FC 2-1 with goals from Frank Phiri and Hassan Hussein, thereby moving up to 8th position with 11 points from eight matches.
Initially, Prince Kachere had given the hosts the lead in the 17th minute, but Creck’s two-goal response earned them their third win of the season.
In a separate match, Karonga United emerged victorious in a closely contested mini-derby against Songwe Border United at Karonga Stadium, winning 1-0 courtesy of Saulos Moyo’s goal.
This win propelled Oscar Kaunda’s side to 5th place with 15 points from six games, while Christopher Nyambose’s team continues to struggle at the bottom with just one point from eight games.
Pic credit: Bullets media
