FCB Nyasa Big Bullets has suffered a 1-0 defeat to Blue Eagles FC at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre on Sunday, with Laurent Banda’s 79th-minute strike securing both the victory and the man-of-the-match honour.
The loss, being their first at home this season, saw Bullets miss the chance to close the gap on their TNM Super League rivals, remaining second with 27 points from 12 matches. Leaders Mighty Wanderers top the table with 33 points from 13 games.
For Blue Eagles, the win lifts them to fourth place with 23 points from 13 matches — level on points with third-placed Silver Strikers but trailing by two goals, and three goals ahead of fifth-placed Ekhaya FC.
Initially, the match began with both teams cautiously testing each other, with Blue Eagles winning an early free kick that failed to trouble the hosts.
But the first real threat came in the 6th minute when Blue Eagles’ Micium Mhone fired a shot on goal, only to be denied by a solid save from Bullets’ Goalie, Innocent Nyasulu.
Bullets pushed forward through Chikumbutso Salima and Patrick Kondowe but were met by resilient defending. Eagles, on the other hand, threatened on the break, with Mhone and Banda linking up well but without reward.
The first half ended goalless, with Eagles having edged the attacking momentum while Bullets looked more composed in midfield.
Bullets’ Coach Peter Mponda made three tactical changes at half-time, bringing on Babatunde Adepoju, Hassan Kajoke, and Henry Chiwaya in search of a breakthrough.
However, it was Eagles who nearly took the lead in the 56th minute when Ian Chinyama’s thunderous free-kick was parried away by Nyasulu.
On the 72nd minute, Hassan Kajoke had a chance to score for Bullets when he found himself in a one-on-one situation with Blue Eagles’ Joshua Waka, only to blast his effort over the crossbar, as he attempted a chip.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 79th minute when Mhone played a sublime pass to Banda, who calmly slotted home past Nyasulu, sending him the wrong way, to give the visitors a lead.
Bullets responded by bringing in Mike Mkwate and pushing forward in numbers.
In the 94th minute, Patrick Kondowe almost rescued a point for Bullets, but his powerful strike rattled the crossbar, summing up Bullets’ frustrations on the day.
Eagles held on through five minutes of added time, defending with discipline to seal a rare away victory over the defending champions.
In post-match interviews, Coach Mponda for Bullets said they did not turn up.
“In 90 minutes we only had one shot (Kondowe’s 94th minute strike) which hit the crossbar. Apart from that we did not do anything to gain even a point from this game,” he said.
Blue Eagles’ Coach, Deklerk Msakakuona, said the game was tough, despite getting the maximum points.
“The good thing is that we have three points in our bag. At least we are up on the log table,” Msakakuona said.
Elsewhere, Songwe Border United lost 3-1 at home against MAFCO. That defeat has made them remain the league anchors with only a point while MAFCO are now 10th from 13 games with 17 points.
