FCB Nyasa Big Bullets U19 suffered their first defeat of the 2025 BDYFL campaign in dramatic fashion, surrendering a 3-0 first-half lead to lose 4-3 against CC Stars in an action-packed encounter at Kamuzu Stadium on Sunday morning.
First Half: Dominance and Missed Opportunity
The match kicked off at a high tempo, with both sides pressing for an early advantage. The visitors, CC Stars, threatened first with a corner inside the opening 10 minutes, but Bullets dealt with the danger confidently.
Moments later, CC Stars almost stunned the home crowd when Joseph Siza’s strike looked goal-bound, only for goalkeeper McDonald Tchukambiri to pull off a brilliant reflex save to keep it level.
Bullets responded with attacking flair and took control of the game. In the 19th minute, Steven Bika opened the scoring, calmly slotting home after receiving a precise pass from Joel Maziya. Just four minutes later, Bika turned provider, delivering a pinpoint cross for Hassan Madula, who doubled the lead with a close-range finish.
The young Maule continued their dominance and extended their lead to 3-0 in the 29th minute. This time, it was Brian Mwase who found himself unmarked at the far post to meet a curling delivery from Blessings Lungu and finished with composure.
Mwase came close to grabbing a brace, but his effort went narrowly wide. Despite controlling the tempo, Bullets allowed CC Stars a way back in the 37th minute when Siza capitalized on a defensive lapse to reduce the deficit.
Moments later, Bullets had a golden chance to restore their three-goal cushion after Lungu was fouled in the box. However, Thole Sachenja’s penalty was expertly saved by the CC Stars goalkeeper, keeping the visitors alive heading into the break with the score at 3-1.
Second Half: The Comeback
Bullets introduced Darlington Fletcher for Madula at the start of the second half, hoping to inject fresh energy into the attack. The hosts nearly added a fourth goal just after the restart, but Sachenja couldn’t connect cleanly with Maziya’s dangerous cross.
Bullets kept the pressure on, with Bika and Mwase remaining lively, but were unable to find the net again. Then came the turning point.
In the 62nd minute, Mike Jomes pulled one back for CC Stars, making it 3-2 and shifting the momentum. Just minutes later, a long throw-in caught the Bullets defense flat-footed, and Jomes rose highest to head home the equalizer, stunning the home crowd.
With the game now wide open, Bullets pushed forward, and Bika thought he had scored again in the 73rd minute, but the flag was up for offside.
The decisive moment came in the 78th minute. A quick counterattack from CC Stars caught Bullets off guard, and Blessings Masomba completed the remarkable comeback with a composed finish past Tchukambiri to make it 4-3.
Despite late pressure from the young Maule, CC Stars held on to claim all three points and hand Bullets U19 their first loss of the season in what was a thrilling, end-to-end contest.
