FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Youth secured a crucial 1-1 draw in the 2024 Katswiri FCB National League against fierce rivals Griffin Young Stars at Kamuzu Stadium on Sunday morning.
Dominic Kayamba scored a vital equalizer with just eight minutes remaining, ensuring the young Bullets preserved their top position.
What happened
Bullets U19s went into the match coming from a 2-1 victory over Bible Stars at Chilomoni Stadium on Saturday.
Griffin Young Stars began the match with strong determination, quickly taking the lead inside the opening ten minutes through their central forward, connecting from a free-kick with a powerful header to beat our goalie Daniel Matumula to make it 0-1.
The response would be swift and fierce from our boys who pushed up the pitch and nearly levelled things up in the 18th minute but the hosts preserved their lead by clearing out Gift Frank’s header.
Without ceasing, we continued to knock at Griffin’s door with Martin Adam coming close to scoring only to be denied by a fine save by the home net-minder.
Although the hosts broke loose at times and looked to exploit the spaces we left behind, our boys continued to pile pressure on them.
Much to their relief, Griffin Young Stars arrived at half-time with their 1-0 lead intact.
At the start of the second half, Bullets made two substitutions, bringing on Issah Felix and Dominic Kayamba, looking to turn around the affairs.
The changes had ripple effects on the tie as we improved immensely, attacking more aggressively in search of an equalizer.
Maxwell Sanakamba, Felix and Brian Mwase had decent attempts at goal but the resistance remained from the hosts.
With our force seeming not to carry a real threat, Charles Mkandawire and Hassan Madula were introduced for Adam and Mwase.
With those changes, Bullets finally got their arsenal right to push for an equalizer which eventually came in the 72nd minute.
Getting on the end of a Precious Chamangwana pass, Kayamba equalized for us following a lapse in communication in Griffin’s defense.
Fired up by the late equalizer, our boys doubled their efforts to snatch the winner but the clock ran down quickly, and there was nothing to separate the two sides at full-time.
What it means
The result extends the unbeaten run for our youngsters, who now have collected 13 points from five matches.
Despite the draw today, our U19s still cling to the top in the current league standings, having scored 13 goals while conceding only a single goal.
Coach Fodya’s comments after the game
“It was a tough match, but we’re pleased with the point. We started slowly, but our substitutions made a significant impact.”
Next
The team is now looking forward to their next match over the weekend with a fixture against Lyzee United lined up.
