FCB Nyasa Big Bullets have moved on from the disappointing 3-2 penalty shootout defeat to Blue Eagles in the FDH Bank Cup final a fortnight ago, first assistant coach Michael Ngore said.
Kalisto Pasuwa’s deputy spoke ahead of our Airtel Top 8 quarterfinal first leg tie against Civil Service United at Kamuzu Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Ngore told club media: “We understand what has been happening and we understand what happened during the FDH Cup final. Losing is part of the game. We accepted and we have moved on. We have been preparing for this game and we believe our preparations have gone very well. We are ready for the game.
“A man is judged not by the way he stays down after falling, but by the way he picks himself up after falling, so we are ready to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves and go again. The boys have picked themselves up judging by the way they have been training.”
He also commented on whether winning the FDH Bank Cup would have eased the pressure on the 2023 quadruple winners, who have had an unimpressive run in the TNM Super League and had an early exit from the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.
“With Bullets, we cannot say that winning the FDH Bank Cup would have taken the pressure off us, but I believe it would have even added more pressure on us because Bullets being serial winners, we have been winning trophies and after winning, you forget you want to win again and this now makes us even hungrier because we have lost a trophy and we want to make amends and get something. We will give it our best,” explained Ngore.
Facing a very familiar opposition in knockout competitions, the Zimbabwean anticipates another tough encounter against the Lilongwe-based side, which gave Pasuwa’s men a run for their money in the FDH Bank Cup quarterfinals last month as Precious Phiri scored in the 95th minute to book us a semifinal place against Moyale Barracks.
“Every game is a new game. We may have had a difficult game the last time we played them but that doesn’t guarantee another tough game against them again. We have been focusing on our preparations; [working on the] weaknesses and strengths to improve what we already know and to make better what we recorded in our errors and mistakes.
“I have always said every game is a new game and the sun rises, we go again and remember football is [played for] 90 minutes, scoring in the last minute, the first minute or midway in the match makes no difference because what is needed are goals, so if we can score and they cannot, we will win the match. This is a game that will rely much on goals, and we are aware of that, so we will give it all and try to fight and see how it ends.”
The People’s Team received a massive boost in Ernest Petro’s recovery from an ankle injury the number 10 sustained during our 2-0 win away to Bangwe All Stars in the league on 31 July.
“Ernest Petro, being one of the senior players with experience at this level, we believe his comeback, if certified fit to play, will be a very big boost for us. For now, we are happy that he is back to his best based on what we have seen during the training sessions, but a match is different from training because it has its pressure. We will wait and see how it goes on the match day,” Ngore said.
Commenting on Bullets starting the two-legged tie at home, our vice-coach shared his thoughts: “In football, there is no such thing as a first-leg advantage. There is nothing [like that]. As long as we are playing another game, I will insist, every game being a new game, winning on Saturday doesn’t mean we have won it. A typical example of what happened last season was when we beat Civil 2-0 away in Lilongwe, but in the return leg, they beat us 2-1.
“So that alone, there is nothing like an advantage even if you win 5-0 in the first leg. Still, the second leg will have its pressure as well. You will have pressure not to concede early because you know if you can score more, they can also score more and that’s football for you. We have to play and see how it goes.”
Bullets return to Kamuzu Stadium after four weeks on the road. Our last match at home was against Moyale Barracks in the TNM Super League on 11 August, before travelling for the FDH Bank Cup and Champions League matches followed by the September international break.
