Maxwell Phodo’s strike was the difference as FCB Nyasa Big Bullets progressed to the semifinals of the Airtel Top 8 with a 1-0 victory over Creck Sporting Club on Saturday afternoon at Nankhaka Stadium.
With the first leg ending goalless in Blantyre a fortnight ago, Peter Mponda’s men travelled to the capital city looking for nothing but goals, and Phodo’s header in the 28th minute was enough to seal the important victory.
The opening half
Mponda made three changes to the side that hammered Songwe Border United 7-0 in the TNM Super League last week by handing starts to Richard Chimbamba, Henry Chiwaya, and Chawanangwa Gumbo for Innocent Nyasulu, Andrew Jovinala and Mike Mkwate.
Mponda is as tactical as coaches may come, but he would have wondered why his charges were slow out of the blocks in front of the away fans who came out in large numbers to push the team into the last four of the competition.
Lucky for the men in grey and white, the opposition, donning their navy blue kit, was not their brave selves, too, and seemed more static than anything else.
By the 20th minute, neither side had managed to register a shot at goal, with the hosts coming close in the 15th minute when George Chaomba made a brilliant turn inside the penalty box, only to be denied by Chimbamba who was quick to make a decision when he collected the ball just as the striker was about to pull a trigger.
Then, in a dramatic turn of events, The People’s Team burst into celebration two. Minutes before the half-hour mark when we grabbed a lead, shifting the momentum and igniting the stadium with our game-changing goal.
Chiwaya delivered a brilliant cross from the left flank into the box that caught the defensive pair of Miracle Gabeya and Talandira Chigaula off guard, allowing Phodo to produce a spectacular header that beat Brighton Munthali, who could only see the ball rolling into the back of the net, 1-0.
This goal forced Joseph Kamwendo to make a substitution at 31 minutes when he brought in Harvey Nasiyaya for Gabeya to try to sort out his defence, which was very shaky.
Bullets should have doubled the advantage in the 32nd minute through Wongani Lungu, who did everything right, but his goal-bound effort from outside the box was deflected off target after hitting teammate Babatunde Adepoju when Munthali was already beaten in the line of duty.
Kamwendo made another change in the 33rd minute when he subbed off Bayo Fatayo for Frank Phiri as he looked to improve his midfield, which was struggling to win possession away from Lloyd Aaron, Gumbo and Lungu.
Bullets, despite taking the lead, were committing more fouls in their defensive half, and they nearly got punished in the 41st minute when Hadji Wali delivered a cross from a freekick into the box to Chaomba, who defied the force of gravity to head at the goal. But, he was very unfortunate as his strike came off the upright, leaving Kamwendo’s led technical panel in total disbelief.
The hosts pressed for an equalizer towards the end of the opening period, but Mponda’s charges defended well to go into the recess with a slender lead.
The final half
After the break, Kamwendo brought in Kondwani Chilembwe for Peter Geoffrey, a clear indication of a very offensive play from the home team in search of a goal that would have given them hope for a semifinal slot.
Creck had more set pieces in the opening minutes of the second half, but Bullets were more organised by dealing with every aerial threat thrown into our penalty area.
To ensure more stability in the midfield, Mponda brought in Frank Willard for Lungu, while Kamwendo introduced Stain Patrick and Patrick Mupanzi for Aaron Chilipa and Hassan Hussein (former Bullets Reserves players). These substitutions were done in the 64th minute.
The last 25 minutes were very crucial for Bullets, but they did a great job of making the day in the middle of the park as uncomfortable as ever for Kamwendo’s charges who were pushing for a goal to keep their hopes alive.
There was a chance for Bullets in the 69th minute, but Salima’s delivery into the box to Babatunde was quickly intercepted by Chigaula for a corner kick, which was wasted by the visitors.
Mponda substituted Willard and Babatunde for Ernest Petro and Hassan Kajoke.
There was a penalty shout from Chaomba in the 79th minute when he thought that his ball hit Blessings Joseph’s arm, but the referee Godfrey Nkhakananga waved play on, frustrating the hosts who were still very much in it.
Bullets almost buried the game in the 83rd minute when Salima played a short corner to Aaron, who fired at goal, forcing Munthali to make a save for another set piece, which was well defended by Hardy Ng’andu.
With 90 minutes played, Mponda brought in Yamikani Mologeni for Phodo after the goal scorer, who was later named Player of the Match, had picked up a knock. There were two chances for Creck in the stoppage time, however, both Chaomba and Patrick fired straight at Chimbamba, who took advantage by managing the game until Nkhakananga’s final whistle to mark the end of the match.
What next
According to the fixtures released by the Football Association of Malawi (FAM), we will face the winner between Mighty Mukuru Wanderers and Karonga United in the semis.
The two teams will battle it out for a place in the last four on Sunday at Karonga Stadium. The Nomads have a 1-goal lead over the Northern Region-based side.
What it means
This will be Bullets’ fifth semifinal appearance in the Airtel Top 8, making us the most dominant side in the competition.
