Pasuwa: My boys did well

Kalisto Pasuwa was full of praise for his players despite FCB Nyasa Big Bullets’ failure to defend another trophy after bowing out of the Castel Challenge Cup.

The People’s Team lost 4-1 on penalties to Mzuzu City Hammers at Kamuzu Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.

Pasuwa, who described the season as one of the toughest, hailed his players for pushing for success after a bad start to the campaign.

“I would like to praise my players for not giving up. We started very badly, but we reached two cup finals, and today, we have lost in the semis. It wasn’t an easy season because we had lots of injuries and we were also forced to play games within three days, which included travelling long distances.

“My boys did well. Unfortunately, penalties haunted us again today, but that’s football; penalties can go either side, and that’s exactly what has happened today,” the Bullets head coach reacted following the defeat.

The Zimbabwean also shared his thoughts on Tuesday’s performance, as Bullets squandered a lot of chances against the Hammers.

“The boys were tired. They couldn’t even push more or even as a coach, I felt pity for them when they were playing. There is no way a body can fully recover in two days, and we were demanding much from them, and I think they did well by pushing themselves up until the penalties which we lost,” he commented.

“Yes, we could have killed off the game [in normal time], but again, at times also, the mentality part of it when you are tired is always negative. You can’t think anymore, and yes, we missed chances and as a result, we are out of the competition.”

He described the 2024 season as a tough one, but was happy with what the 2023 quadruple winners achieved.

“We won one cup, lost the other two cups and the league. Today, we have lost in the semifinals and finished third in the [TNM Super League] standings. I wouldn’t say we did badly. The players did well. Yes, people will talk but if you check where we are coming from, we fared well.”

The defeat marked the end of our 2024 season, and next on the menu is the First Capital Bank Bullets Red Carpet event slated for Monday, 23 December at the Golden Peacock Hotel in Blantyre.