A brace each from new signing Collen Nkhulambe and Chiukepo Msowoya inspired Nyasa Big Bullets to a 4-1 victory over Kamuzu Barracks on Sunday afternoon to move to second on the Super League standings with 31 points.
Both teams were coming from victories in their second round opening matches but it was Bullets who put their friends to the sword with a fantastic performance especially in the first half where the hosts dominated.
The injury stricken Bullets had to rely on veteran Swadick Sanudi between the two posts following an injury to Ernest Kakhobwe who is their number one shot-stopper.
The first chance of the day fell to Nkhulambe who was set through by Mussa Manyenje only to fire straight at Lemani Nthala in goals for the visitors.
Moments later, Nkhulambe was at it again when he failed to connect a MacPhallen Ngwira cross into the box.
However, the former Mzuzu United forward rectified his earlier miss by connecting home another Ngwira cross from the right flank, 1-0.
In the second half, Bullets brought in Diverson Mlozi for the ineffective Manyenje as they wanted extra fire power at front.
However, the visitors came out very strong in the half and Bullets decided to sit back defending their slender lead. Kamuzu Barracks kept on knocking through Manase Chiyesa and Harvey Nkacha as Bullets were playing in their own half.
The visitors’ hardworking spirit finally paid off as Ben Hojani produced the moment of brilliance when he made a fantastic finish into the back of the net, 1-1.
The Lilongwe based Soldiers were firing from all cylinders, forcing Bullets to introduce Msowoya and Fischer Kondowe while the visitors brought in Ben Issa and Zinjani Yona.
Despite controlling the midfield, Bullets doubled their lead from the spot. In what looked like a soft penalty, Diouf Simaone pushed Msowoya inside the penalty box, leaving referee Evidence Kananji with no choice but to point on the spot.
The decision did not go well with the visitors who agreed to boycott the match but had to change their mind when Dave Banda intervened.
Msowoya stepped up to slot the penalty past Nthala into the back of the net, 2-1.
The penalty completely destabilized the visitors who were now living under intense pressure from the hosts.
Bullets later increased their tally to 3-1 through Nkhulambe again who made a fantastic tap in into the roof of the net to send all Bullets fans into wild celebrations.
Just when everybody thought the game will end at 3-1, Msowoya nailed it with another easy finish when the visitors’ defence failed to clear a loose ball from Nkhulambe and after 90 minutes of play, it ended 4-1.
The result sees Bullets leapfrogging Silver Strikers into second position with 31 points from 17 games. However, the Bankers have got two games in hand and might crawl back to the top two if they can beat Max Bullets on Wednesday at their own backyard.
As for the Soldiers, they have managed to collect three points from a possible six in their two outings, having beaten Max Bullets 2-0 on Saturday at Mpira Village Stadium.
At Chitowe, Mafco FC bounced back from their disappointing 1-nil defeat to Kamuzu Barracks by claiming a 2-1 victory over Azam Tigers.
The Salima based Soldiers are on third position with 31 points from 17 games so far.
As for the Kau Kau boys, they have only managed to collect a point from a possible six in their two away from home fixtures having played to a goalless draw against Dwangwa United at the same venue.
