Babatunde Adepoju celebrated a milestone 100th appearance in FCB Nyasa Big Bullets colours by scoring a crucial second-half goal, inspiring Peter Mponda’s side to a 1-0 win over Ekhaya FC, which resulted in the latter’s first home loss on Wednesday afternoon.
A large crowd witnessed the match, which was characterized by Bullets’ overwhelming dominance.
With Bullets requiring a win to maintain their top position, the hosts sought to prove a point, given the significant number of their players and technical panel members with prior affiliations to Bullets.
What happened…
From the outset, Bullets demonstrated a clear intent to dominate the match, employing high-intensity pressing and possession-based football that compelled Enos Chatama’s team to adopt a defensive stance in numbers to avoid an early upset.
The first scoring opportunity fell to Henry Chiwaya, who, despite being unmarked inside the six-yard box, directed his header over the crossbar from Chikumbutso Salima’s cross.
Shortly thereafter, Salima delivered another exceptional cross to the six-yard box, targeting Chiwaya, whose weak shot was easily saved by Ellias Missi.
The opening fifteen minutes of the match were completely dominated by Bullets, who forced their opponents to establish a defensive block that made it extremely challenging for Bullets to breach their defence.
In the 15th minute, Bullets had a scoring opportunity when Alick Lungu committed a foul on Salima within Ekhaya’s defensive area.
The atmosphere was heated as Missi used physical force against Babatunde, in clear view of referee Michael Mwambyale, who declined to take control, making no effort to intervene, a decision that startled the visiting team.
Frank Willard, who exhibited dominance in midfield for the visiting team, stepped up to unleash a powerful 25-meter drive that was expertly saved by Missi. From the rebound, Babatunde was caught offside.
The pressure was building on Chatama’s men, resulting in the substitution of Safton Chimtokoma for Vincent Salawira. This change brought a measure of stability to the hosts, who, having initially been outplayed by the visitors, started to settle and enjoyed a more promising five-minute spell, during which they pushed forward in pursuit of a goal.
In the 25th minute, Hermas Masinja made an impressive run into Bullets’ defensive area, but, with a clear scoring opportunity, chose to pass the ball to Clever Chikwata, who was offside.
Ekhaya’s momentum was fleeting, lasting less than five minutes, as Bullets regained control of the match, dictating the play, but were ultimately thwarted by a resilient defensive side.
However, the home team nearly scored from a free kick when Hassan Kajoke committed a foul on Stanley Billiat, who made a short pass to Lungu, who swiftly fired at goal, forcing Innocent Nyasulu to make his first crucial save of the match.
At the other end, an opportunity arose for Babatunde, but his shot was blocked by Fanizo Mwansambo, resulting in a corner that was easily handled by Missi.
Two minutes of added time were played, but neither team capitalised, and the first half ended goalless. After the break, Bullets resumed their attack, maintaining possession with pace in the offensive area, but Ekhaya’s defensive block proved too difficult to unlock.
After 50 minutes, Chatama replaced the injured Innocent Msowoya with Lovemore Mbeta in midfield for the hosts. Msowoya’s injury significantly impacted Ekhaya, as they started to open up and make Bullets more threatening in the final third, but the hosts’ defence effectively neutralised every ball inside the penalty box.
However, the decisive moment Mponda’s men were anticipating arrived in the 56th minute, when Wongani Kaponya committed a foul on Chiwaya near the penalty box.
After 50 minutes, Chatama replaced the injured Innocent Msowoya with Lovemore Mbeta in midfield for the hosts. Msowoya’s injury significantly impacted Ekhaya, as they started to open up and make Bullets more threatening in the final third, but the hosts’ defence effectively neutralised every ball inside the penalty box.
However, the decisive moment Mponda’s men were anticipating arrived in the 56th minute, when Wongani Kaponya committed a foul on Chiwaya near the penalty box.
Babatunde received the ball in the penalty box from the left-back and scored with a powerful header, 0-1, showcasing remarkable athleticism.
Consequently, Ekhaya pushed forward with increased numbers in the attacking area and came close to equalising in the 59th minute when Billiat’s outstanding free kick was saved by Nyasulu for a corner, which Blessings Mpokera handled effectively.
The hosts increased their attacking presence, but they were unable to replicate Bullets’ exceptional energy levels, as every move was halted by Aaron, Willard, and Mpokera.
With 68 minutes elapsed, Mponda brought in Maxwell Phodo for Kajoke, aiming to bolster his attacking options and potentially score another goal to seal the win.
Chatama, meanwhile, introduced Kesten Simbi in place of Chikwata. In the remaining minutes, Bullets effectively managed the game, maintaining possession and reducing Ekhaya FC to the role of spectators as they watched their opponents pass the ball with ease.
At the 86-minute mark, Mologeni supplied a pinpoint cross into the box, narrowly missing a goal, as Babatunde’s header went wide following an aerial battle in which Missi was beaten.
During the added minutes, the visiting team made substitutions, introducing Chawanangwa Gumbo and Ernest Petro in place of Wongani Lungu and Aaron.
As Ekhaya launched a final attack, Petro made a vital clearance, securing maximum points for Bullets against Chatama’s side.
At Karonga Stadium, Mighty Wanderers secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Songwe Border United, thanks to second-half goals from Wisdom Mpinganjira and Blessings Mwalilino.
The match, played at Karonga Stadium, remained goalless in the first half, but Wanderers dominated the second half, with Mpinganjira scoring in the 55th minute and Mwalilino sealing the win. This victory earned Wanderers four points from their first two matches in the North.
As a result, Wanderers moved to second place in the standings with 26 points from 10 games, while Songwe Border United remained at the bottom with just one point from 11 games.
Picture credit: Bullets Media
