FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Reserves and FOMO FC settled for a 1-1 stalemate in their pre-season friendly on Saturday afternoon at Mulanje Park.
The opening half
The game kicked off at a high tempo, with both sides pressing hard in search of an early breakthrough. Bullets Reserves created the first significant chance in the 15th minute when a deflected cross earned a corner. Zaneel Jussab delivered a pinpoint ball into the box, but Enos Hendeman’s header sailed over the bar.
Four minutes later, FOMO came close to breaking the deadlock when Prince Kajole unleashed a shot that drifted wide after a promising buildup. The match quickly turned into an end-to-end affair, with opportunities arising on both sides. Kondwani Mhone was off-target after receiving a precise pass from Vincent Kampira, while FOMO nearly capitalized on a corner, only for Mike Robert’s effort to be safely collected by Ganizani Banda.
In an effort to inject fresh energy, coach Heston Muthali introduced Prince Chiumia in place of Hadji Steven around the 30-minute mark. Despite a flurry of half-chances late in the first half—including another header from Kajole that missed the mark—the teams headed into the break with the scoreline still at 0-0.
Second half action
At the start of the second half, Muthali made another change, substituting Kondwani Mhone with Henry Manganyera. This switch invigorated the team as they began to increase their attacking intensity. Chiumia forced a sharp save from FOMO goalkeeper Joseph Ngalande just four minutes after the restart. Shortly after, Manganyera failed to capitalize on a golden opportunity created by a pinpoint Chiumia cross, as the hosts’ defense remained resilient.
The deadlock was eventually broken in the 68th minute when the hosts were awarded a penalty following a handball by Matthews Mkunika inside the box. Blessings Muheka stepped up and confidently converted the spot-kick to give FOMO the lead.
Bullets responded with determination, and their persistence paid dividends when substitute Macray Chiwaya found the back of the net in the 78th minute when he calmly finished from Misheck Billiat’s accurate cross, capping off a well-executed team move to bring the score level.
FOMO pushed for a late winner, narrowly missing out when Muheka’s ferocious free-kick flew over the crossbar. In the dying moments, Diverson Daudi also squandered a chance, heading wide from a corner, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Muthali’s post-match thoughts
“This was a valuable test for us in our opening pre-season match. There were several positive takeaways from our build-up play, though we need to be more clinical in the final third. The boys showed great character to come back after falling behind, which is an encouraging sign. While there’s still work to be done, it’s a strong starting point.”
