FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Reserves made it four wins in a row following a 2-0 victory over Soccer Rangers in the ThumbsUp Southern Region Football League at Kamuzu Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Captain Andrew Lameck struck in the first half, and in stoppage time, Prince Chalera sealed the victory.
What happened
Right from the start, it was clear that the tie would be one tight contest as both teams claimed spells of possession.
While the visitors were good with the expansive style of play, our youngsters thrived in pocket spaces through the middle and found their breakthrough in the 17th minute.
Released by a fine pass from Hadji Steven, captain Lameck kept his coolness in the box to make it 1-0 with a low strike into the bottom corner.
Although they upped their game after conceding, the visitors, who were 1-0 winners when we visited them in their backyard away in Lunzu in the first round, struggled to create anything meaningful in front of goal.
Chances continued to fall for us as the first half reached its final stages. Unmarked Steven failed to head home a spot-on delivery from Oscar Petro and Chalera also squandered some good scoring opportunities.
It could have been more but somehow Trevor Kajawa’s Rangers went for the halftime break only a goal down.
Looking for a better balance, coach Enos Chatama introduced Francis Malikebu, who is one of the 13 Bullets Reserves players picked for the Malawi Under-20 squad, replacing Macray Chiwaya at the restart. That card would not produce any instant impact as the visitors took control of the tie and looked likely to get the equalizer.
We were put into a difficult spell in which our discipline off the ball was put to the test. That forced our second substitution as Gift Lamowa came in for Steven.
Though we continued to be dominated by their Anzeru Joseph-anchored midfield, we improved in shape and managed to hang on to our lead and went on to create numerous chances which we fluffed again and again.
Our quality in the final third proved to be the difference in the end as the visitors were winded by a slick move.
Substitute Malikebu combined well with Chalera, who, after being wasteful on many occasions, took his time to beat the visiting goalkeeper with a powerful low shot to make any thought of a late equalizer impossible for the Lunzu-based outfit.
Rangers are the only team we have lost to this season and the 2-0 win today felt like a successful payback in the end.
What it means
With their fourth straight win today, Bullets Reserves have moved to 30 points from 15 matches, a tally which keeps Group B’s top spot for them.
Chatama post Soccer Rangers
“It was one of the toughest games we have played in the second round. We started on a high note in the first 15 minutes. We dropped, and they came and knocked the ball around.
“It was just good [that] we maintained our shape. We had quick transitions on the break but we were lacking that killer punch at the front. We scored, and in the second half, we scored in the dying minutes to make it 2-0, but it wasn’t an easy game.”
Next
What follows now for our youngsters is another league match next weekend.
