…wins for Civil, Karonga United in other matches…
FCB Nyasa Big Bullets moved to a point within Mighty Wanderers following their 1-0 hard-fought victory over Mafco FC at Champion Stadium in Mponela on Sunday afternoon.
The result came just two days after Peter Mponda’s men beat Mzuzu City Hammers 2-0 last Thursday.
Bullets’ only goal of the match came in the 77th minute through Chikumbutso Salima, who is currently enjoying his form with goals and assists.
With determination in their hearts, the People’s Team entered the match, looking to capitalise on Mighty Wanderers’ Saturday slip-up after they drew 1-1 with Chitipa United.
The players rose to the occasion, scoring a decisive goal that inspired the team to claim maximum points, reducing the lead held by Wanderers to just one point.
Bullets’ first opportunity came in the 7th minute through Lameck Gamphani who almost broke the deadlock with an excellent run to the right flank, but his shot was just off target, missing Christopher Mikuwa’s right-hand post by inches.
It was a game that was played with high-level intensity from both ends, but only a few chances were created in the opening minutes.
In the 19th minute, Bullets had an excellent opportunity through Gamphani, who was unmarked inside the penalty box and received a precise delivery from Yamikani Mologeni, but the winger’s header narrowly missed Mikuwa’s upright.
Mponda made two quick substitutions by bringing in Hassan Kajoke and Maxwell Phodo in place of Gamphani and Frank Willard, who had previously received a yellow card.
Stereo Gondwe’s side suffered a blow in the 26th minute when Chifundo Molosen sustained an injury, and he was replaced by Rodwell Robert.
The hosts’ first goal-scoring opportunity fell to Prince Kachere in the 28th minute when his powerful shot hit the post, following a defensive mistake by Andrew Jovinala. The forward was in a one-on-one situation with Innocent Nyasulu, but he was unfortunate, as the post denied him the opportunity to put his team in the lead.
Nyasulu came to Bullets’ rescue in the 34th minute with a stunning save, denying Kachere a scoring opportunity.
As Mafco squandered two consecutive chances, Bullets created their own in the 39th minute with Mologeni’s exceptional cross into the box, where Ephraim Kondowe headed wide when Christopher Mikuwa was already beaten in his line of duty.
Bullets’ final chance of the half occurred in the 45th minute with a passing sequence between Mologeni, Wongani Lungu, and Phodo, releasing Kajoke and Kondowe into Mafco’s penalty box.
However, a communication breakdown between the strikers led to Kajoke hitting his own player, allowing Paul Ndhlovu to clear timely, ending the opening half.
After the recess, Mponda brought in Babatunde for Phodo to try to improve his attacking prowess in search of a goal.
Within the first few minutes of the second half, Babatunde missed an opportunity to score when Mikuwa made a save on Salima’s cross, and although the ball landed favorably for him, the forward’s shot sailed wide despite needing only a light touch.
After the miss, Bullets should have been punished by Mafco when the hosts launched a counter-attack via Robert, who provided a dangerous cross into the box, but Kachere was tardy in arriving as he narrowly missed the ball.
Bullets had a chance in the 59th minute through Babatunde, who narrowly missed scoring a spectacular goal when he made a first-time connection with Hassan Kajoke’s cross, but his shot went wide.
Mponda reinforced his midfield in the 66th minute with the introduction of Mike Mkwate for Kajoke, seeking to outnumber Mafco in the attacking zones.
A scoring chance emerged for Mponda’s side in the 71st minute when Aubrey Chafewa misjudged a long ball from Jovinala, but Salima, presented with an easy opportunity after Babatunde’s run, skied the ball wide.
Mponda’s next substitution came in the 76th minute, with Peter Banda replacing Kondowe.
The deadlock was broken in the 77th minute with a moment of brilliance. Salima won the ball on the left wing and sent a precise delivery into the box. Mafco’s clearance fell short, allowing Mologeni to collect the ball.
The fullback wasted no time in sending a dangerous cross to the far post, where Salima coolly slotted the ball home.
Gondwe brought in Awali Allu for Kachere in the 80th minute to try to force something out of the game.
Bullets held the upper hand at this point, and in the 83rd minute, they nearly extended their lead when Mikuwa repelled Babatunde’s scoring bid, and following Chafewa’s clearance from their penalty box, Paul Master, a standout performer throughout the contest, unleashed a forceful shot that seemed inevitable to score.
Fortunately for the hosts, Ndhlovu positioned himself to execute a vital clearance, denying Bullets the opportunity to finalize the victory.
With the match entering its final stages, Bullets focused on maintaining their advantage, and despite Mafco’s heightened offensive pressure, the People’s Team demonstrated resilience to secure all three points in anticipation of their upcoming match against Karonga United in the first round’s final match next weekend.
The victory means Bullets have 33 points from 14 games, while Wanderers have 34 points from the same number of games.
At Civo Stadium, Civil Service United continued their good run of form when they thumped Mzuzu City Hammers 4-0 to move up to 7th in the standings with 22 points.
The Servants scored their goals through a Dastan Banda’s brace and a strike each from Frank Chizuze and John Dambuleni to make it four wins out of their last four games.
Abbas Makawa’s men beat Bullets, Songwe Border United, Mighty Tigers, and recently, Hammers.
As for Hamers, the latest defeat means they are winless in their last four games as they are still stuck in the 15th position with 8 points from 14 games.
At Rumphi Stadium, Rajab Juma scored early to inspire Karonga United to a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Moyale Barracks.
The win saw Oscar Kaunda’s men move into the sixth position with 23 games from 14 games. As for Pritchard Mwansa’s men, the defeat means they have dropped into the bottom three with 15 points from the same number of games.
The first round of the 2025 season will be concluded next weekend.
