Lameck Gamphani scored in the last minute of stoppage time as FCB Nyasa Big Bullets salvaged a point following a 1-1 draw against Premier Bet Dedza Dynamos on Thursday afternoon at Kamuzu Stadium.
The visitors broke the deadlock through Ibrahim Sadik five minutes after the hour mark before Gamphani came off the bench to score against his former club in the 96th minute.
What happened
Fresh from the Blantyre derby victory over Mighty Mukuru Wanderers, Kalisto Pasuwa made four changes to the team that started on Saturday. Clyde Senaji, Frank Willard, Lloyd Aaron and Ephraim Kondowe replaced Yamikani Mologeni, Yankho Singo, Wongani Lungu and Maxwell Phodo.
From the onset, the signs of a tough afternoon for the defending champions were there as the visitors looked comfortable at the Kamuzu Stadium, where they made their intentions known in the opening minutes of the tie.
For over 15 minutes, Bullets had no shot at goal. They nearly conceded in the 18th minute when Marko Chiwaya unleashed a powerful effort outside the penalty box, only to be denied by Richard Chimbamba’s brilliant save for a corner kick.
We had an opportunity to open the scoring from the spot in the 25th minute when referee Zebron Lengani awarded us a penalty after Gift Magola handled the ball inside the area.
Unfortunately, Babatunde Adepoju’s spot-kick, our first penalty in the 2024 league campaign, was stopped by Donnex Mwakasinga. The Nigerian hit the post from the rebound before the visitors managed the danger.
The miss seemingly frustrated Bullets as Pasuwa’s men failed to break into the final third to create meaningful chances.
There was nothing more to write about in the remaining minutes of the opening half.
After the recess, Pasuwa made a triple substitution by introducing Lungu, Mologeni, and Ernest Petro for Willard, Senaji, and Chikumbutso Salima.
The first opportunity in this half fell to Kondowe, who was found unmarked by Mologeni’s cross, but the forward’s header went wide of Mwakasinga’s right-hand post.
Dedza made a change in the 58th minute when Sadik came on for Lennox Kiwambe.
The substitute made his impact known when he gave Andrew Bunya’s side a lead in the 65th minute. Chifuniro Mpinganjira made his way into the box before forcing Chimbamba to make a save, and from the rebound, Sadik fired straight at goal, beating the shot-stopper to his far post, 0-1.
The goal meant one thing for Pasuwa’s charges: a mountain to climb to level and possibly score another goal to win the game.
Bullets created chances, but putting the ball into the net was a huge task for the hosts, who were also frustrated by Mwakasinga’s delaying tactics, as the ‘keeper continued going to the ground for ‘injuries’, resulting in unnecessary stoppages.
Phodo came in for Kondowe in the 66th minute as Bullets pushed everyone in front for the much-needed goal.
In the 70th minute, Babatunde was set through by Nickson Nyasulu, but the forward failed to win the ball as Mwakasinga made a save to keep his side in the lead.
Pasuwa brought in Gamphani for Chitiyo in the 75th minute.
We kept pushing and should have had a goal in the 82nd minute when Gamphani’s free-kick met Petro, who produced a powerful header but was denied by Mwakasinga. Phodo and Babatunde failed to capitalise on the rebound, allowing Lughani Kayira to make a timely clearance.
As pressure mounted, Bullets continued pushing for an equaliser. Aaron was next to try his luck when his long-range effort was deflected for a corner kick in the 86th minute.
Gamphani stepped up but saw his set piece well saved by Mwakasinga, who then wasted more minutes again as he called for medical attention to keep frustrating the home fans.
With two minutes left to play, Khumbo Banda, already on a yellow card, committed a foul. Instead of accepting the referee’s decision, he exchanged words with Lengani, leaving the referee with no choice but to send the defender off following a second yellow.
With a one-man advantage, Bullets kept on fighting. Seven minutes were added to the clock, and Gamphani had a chance to level, but his attempt missed Mwakasinga’s goalpost with an inch.
Finally, The People’s Team levelled in the final minute of the stoppages.
A long ball from Aaron to Mapemba saw the converted left-back sending a dangerous ball to the far end, which was connected into the net by Gamphani, who, despite opening his scoring account for Bullets, did not celebrate the goal in showing respect to his former team.
Soon after Bullets’ equaliser, ugly scenes ensued as Dedza players shoved Lengani and the second assistant referee, Rajab Symon, claiming the ball had gone out before Mapemba’s cross into the area.
The centre referee flashed another red card to Edward Dakalira for dissent, and after the final whistle, 1-all, it ended.
What it means
Thursday’s result leaves Bullets in third place with 41 points, trailing league leaders Silver Strikers with 12 points and six behind second-placed Wanderers with six games left to play.
Looking forward
Next on The People’s Team’s menu is a trip to Lilongwe for the Airtel Top 8 semifinal encounter against Kamuzu Barracks on Sunday.
