Bullets beat Chitipa, Nomads stay top
FCB Nyasa Bullets on Sunday chalked their first 2024 TNM super League victory with a 3-0 win over Chitipa United at Karonga Stadium.
But it is their rivals Mighty Mukuru Wanderers who have the bragging rights as they remain top of the table courtesy of a better goal difference. They Nomads are tied on seven points with second-placed Silver Strikers.
The People’s Team went into on Sunday’s match at Karonga Stadium with bitter memories of their 1-0 loss at the hands of the Basongo in their first round league match last season and fought every inch of the way to get it right this time around.
After drawing their first two matches, victory was a must for the defending champions and they did it to perfection. Bullets led 1-0 at half time.
Lanky Nigerian forward Babatunde Adepoju drew first blood in the 23rd minute before Ephraim Kondowe and Patrick Mwaungulu scored late in the second half to ensure that the first full points were in the bag for Bullets.
Bullets are sixth with five points from three games.
Bullets coach Kallisto Pasuwa said he was not amused with the condition of the pitch.
“On the actual game, they [Chitipa] started at full tempo, but the goal we scored made them lose steam and then we controlled the game [further] after making some changes in the second half,” he said.
On his part, Chitipa assistant coach Elvis Kafoteka described it as a painful loss.
“We deserved a point, in the first half, we were in control of the match, but we lost the plot in the second half. We gifted them the goals. Anyway, we’ll go back to the drawing board,” he said.
At Dedza Stadium, Silver Strikers’ 100 percent record was brought to a halt by strong-willed Dedza Dynamos as they played out a one-all draw.
At Mpira Stadium in Chiwembe Township, Blantyre, Mzuzu City Hammers’ remarkable run was also halted by Mighty Tigers who beat them 1-0.
The results saw Mighty Mukuru Wanderers staying put at the summit of the flagship league with seven points from three matches. They are tied on points with the Central Bankers, but are separated by goal difference.
After three rounds of matches, Wanderers, Silver, Bullets and seventh-placed Kamzu Barracks are the only unbeaten teams in the 16-team top-flight league.
At Dedza Stadium, Dedza took the lead through Victor Lungu’s 39th minute strike, but the Reserve Bank of Malawi-sponsored side drew level in the 75 minute courtesy of substitute Charles Chipala who scored against his former team from a Binwell Katinji pass.
In a post-match interview, Silver coach Peter ‘Mjojo’ Mponda said: “We struggled in the first half as we did not play the way we wanted. We shouldn’t have conceded that goal.
“We could have defended well. That said, we reacted and responded well in the second half and managed to level the scores. I think a point is deserved. Credit to Chipala, he played well and helped the team.”
Dynamos coach Andrew Bunya said they deserved to win.
“It’s a painful result. We did well and deserved to win, but we succumbed to pressure from Silver Strikers midway second half. It’s painful. we wanted the three points,” he said.
In another game, Mighty Tigers ended Mzuzu City Hammers unbeaten run with a 1-0 win via Bright Ntondagowa’s 70th minute strike.
