FCB Nyasa Bullets yesterday dislodged their arch-rivals Mighty Wanderers from the summit of the FDH Bank Premiership following their 2-0 victory over Standard Bank Blue Eagles at Mpira Stadium in Chiwembe Township, Blantyre.
The defeat spoiled the party for the Lilongwe-based Malawi Police Service side, who were playing their first match after securing a K250 million sponsorship from Standard Bank Malawi plc.
| Courtesy of FCB Nyasa Big Bullets
The Blantyre-based People’s Team now sits at the pinnacle of the 16-team flagship league with 33 points, one point above the Nomads, who dropped to second while Eagles, who were second, are now third with 31 points.
After a goalless first half which failed to stir the passions, the hosts came into the second half with all their guns blazing, shifting into overdrive.
The half-time pep talk from their Zambian coach Wedson Nyirenda and his backroom staff remains in the classified category, but there was renewed purpose in the record 17-time champions’ play.
Lanky midfielder Chawanangwa Gumbo broke the deadlock in the 56th minute with a thunderbolt which left the Cops’ goaltender Precious Masamba helpless to send the home fans into frenzy.
Six minutes later, Bullets doubled their lead from the spot after Eagles defender Fahad Mtcheka had handled the ball in the 18-yard box.
Striker Ephraim Kondowe scored from the spot to take his tally to 10 goals as he leads the chase for the Golden Boot.
Eagles were on the back foot as Bullets knocked the ball around with ease, assured that three points were in the bag.
Eagles coach Deklerk Msakakuoana said they started the game well, but lost the plot in the second half.
“When they scored the first goal, it demoralised my team and then the second virtually took off our rhythm. We accept defeat and we will go back to the drawing board to see where we went wrong,” he said.
But Msakakuona played down suggestions that the absence of their captain Micium Mhone affected their play.
On the other hand, Nyirenda described the encounter as a tough match.
“The mid-season break affected us because we were rusty in the first half, but I knew we would pick up in the second half. Our aim to remain at the top,” he said.
Meanwhile, after months at the basement of the table, Lilongwe-based Creck Sporting Club’s revival continued when they edged Moyale Barracks of Mzuzu 2-1 at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe.
Creck Sporting, who are coached by Flames legend Ernest ‘Wire’ Mtawali, have now moved a step up to 15th. They are tied on 13 points with 14th-placed Mafco FC, but the latter has a slight better goal difference.
Karonga United beat Civil Service United of Lilongwe 1-0 at Karonga Stadium via Eric Mandanda’s strike while Goshen City Dedza Dynamos edged Lilongwe-based Masters FC by the same margin through Marco Chiwaya’s 24th minute goal.
