Nyasa Big Bullets Reserve on Thursday continued its rich vein of goalscoring form with a 7-1 thumping of Changalume Barracks in the ThumbsUp Southern Region Football Association Premier Division League at Kamuzu Stadium.
Playing their final game at Kamuzu Stadium before wrapping the 2019 season, Enos Chatama’s boys came into this encounter knowing very well what three points could do for their top two finish going forward.
The 2018 champions were the first to test waters as Stanley Billiati opened the routing in the 7th minute following a brilliant display of football from the middle of the pack to unlock the visitors’ defense.
However, the lead only lasted for three minutes as the visitors leveled the score-line when the junior Bullets’ back four failed to communicate, allowing the Zomba-based soldiers to break away and find the back of the net.
The reigning champions made sure to restore their lead a minute after conceding through Lanjesi Nkhoma who was having a game to remember as he was too hot to handle throughout the match.
Sensing danger, the visiting troops adopted calm but very physical approach in the engine room as they looked to quickly extinguish the baptism the hosts wanted to stoke.
However, the baptism of fire couldn’t have been avoided as the hosts attacked from all cylinders to score five goals in the half, leaving the visitors in total disarray.
Alex Tsamba increased the hosts’ tally with a brilliant finish when the visitors’ defense failed to clear a dead ball from Patrick Mwaungulu, allowing the latter to slot the ball past the advanced goalkeeper into the back of the net.
From there onwards, goals followed and it was Frank Mlimanjira who was next to be added on the scorer’s sheet when he pounced on another defensive mistake before putting the ball into the back of the net.
Following a stampede in Changalume’s penalty area, Nkhoma did well to lay-off the ball to wingback Yamikani Mologeni who unleashed a grass-cutter that sailed into the visiting goalkeeper’s bottom corner.
The visitors could not manage to slow down the hosts who looked angrier for goals and in the 74th minute, Mwaungulu turned from a provider to a scorer when he made a cool finish from a brilliant delivery into the box to make it 6-1.
Bullets Reserves finally put the nail on the coffin as substitute Wilton Kaunda Jnr completed a brilliant move from close range with a dipping effort to make it 7-1 and beyond the visitors’ reach.
The result sees Bullets Reserves taking their tally to 86 points from 37 games. League favourites Red Lions lead the pack with 93 points from 35 games.
