FCB Nyasa Big Bullets assistant coach Heston Munthali felt his side should have put one foot in the Airtel Top 8 semifinals after being held to a 1-1 draw by Ekhaya FC in Saturday night’s quarterfinal first leg.
George Chaomba’s early second-half opener was cancelled out by Allen Chihana as the visitors fought back to earn a draw at Bingu National Stadium.
Speaking to journalists after the match, Munthali pointed to Bullets’ failure to capitalise on their first-half dominance as the key factor behind the result.
“We drew 1-1, which is not a good result for us. We created a lot of ch`ances in the first half and could have sealed the game, but we didn’t take them. That’s part of football,” he said.
“I thought we dominated the first half. Our movement was good, our counter-pressing worked well and we created chances, but we didn’t score.”
Munthali revealed that the coaching staff challenged the players to maintain their intensity after the break and build on their strong first-half display.
“At the break, we spoke to the boys about how we wanted to finish the game and we scored early in the second half,” he explained.
“Even though we were leading, we were not comfortable enough on the ball. We kept giving away possession and our passing from the back was not good enough. Eventually, we conceded.”
Despite his disappointment with the outcome, the Bullets assistant coach took encouragement from several aspects of the performance and remains confident ahead of the return leg.
“I’m satisfied with the way we played in the first half because the plan worked. The only thing missing was the goal,” said Munthali.
“We created a lot of chances and now it’s about talking to the boys, encouraging them and preparing properly for the second leg so that we can go there and get the win.”
