FCB Nyasa Big Bullets cruised into the Castel Challenge Cup Round of 16 after thumping Changalume Barracks 5-0 at Mpira Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
The match was delayed for an hour due to heavy rains that lasted more than two hours in Chiwembe.
As expected, Kalisto Pasuwa made several changes to the side that triumphed over Silver Strikers in the Airtel Top 8 Cup final just before the international break, with all the players that were on duty with Malawi rested.
What happened
Babatunde Adepoju drew the first blood in the 6th minute when he headed home Ronald Chitiyo’s excellent delivery from close range, 1-0.
The People’s Team should have had two more goals after the opener, with both Maxwell Phodo and Chitiyo failing to convert their chances inside the penalty area.
Phodo was at it again as he missed a golden opportunity in the 24th minute. The forward was at the receiving end of a brilliant cross from Yamikani Mologeni and he only needed a simple touch to put the ball into the net, but the wing forward went for power to drive his effort away from Changalume’s goal area.
These back-to-back missed chances nearly cost us when Emmanuel Sikelo Jnr forced Clever Mkungula into making a save when Clyde Senaji and Kesten Simbi failed to deal with a bouncing long ball. The shot-stopper came out top to deny the visitors an equaliser.
In the 30th minute, Phodo thought he had scored, but his goal from a rebound after Francis Mkanda had fumbled Babatunde’s effort, was ruled out for offside by the first assistant referee.
Changalume, coached by Chifundo Masapula, had a decent chance in the 34th minute when Blessings Mpokera failed to block a cross from Kaliwo Harawa that almost found Sikelo Jnr, however, the forward was late to arrive as the ball went to the other side of the field for a throw-in.
With five minutes left before the end of the opening period, Phodo’s long-range effort almost doubled our lead, unfortunately, our number 30 saw his attempt miss the upright with a small margin to keep the game at 1-0 as the two teams went to the dressing rooms for recess.
After the break, it only took a minute for Bullets to create a goal-scoring opportunity when Phodo worked brilliantly in the final third before he spotted Chitiyo on the edge of the six-yard box, but the attacking midfielder fired wide when the goal was open for him to slot the ball home.
For the next ten minutes, it was Pasuwa’s men all over their opponents, but the defending champions lacked the finishing composure to punish the visitors, who were sitting too deep to defend against a very high-pressing side.
The cup tie was effectively over in the 57th minute as Bullets raced into a two-goal lead. Babatunde made an excellent run to the far right, beating Alick Theu before slotting the ball past defenseless Mkanda near post to make it 2-1.
After the half-hour mark, Bullets introduced Ernest Petro, Kenneth Pasuwa, Wongani Lungu, and Ephraim Kondowe for Babatunde, Simbi, Chitiyo, and Gumbo.
The hosts were now running riot as Phodo scored the third goal when he received a million-dollar pass from Mologeni to smash the ball with power past Mkanda. Bullets made more than 14 passes in the run-up to the goal.
Our captain on the day, Clyde Senaji was replaced by Mathews Masamba in the 74th minute. The Kenyan defender had pulled his muscle when he tried to clear a dangerous ball inside the area.
Despite this setback, Kondowe registered his name on the scoresheet with a clinical finish. It was once again a brilliant teamwork that saw Mologeni releasing Lungu before setting up the forward, who fired past Mkanda, 4-0.
Kondowe doubled his tally in the 87th minute when he was found unmarked by Petro, who won the ball from Watson Kondowe in his defensive area. The forward made no mistake to hit the back of the net with a clinical finish, 5-0.
What it means
The midweek result means Bullets will travel to Mzuzu to take on Hilltop United in the Castel Challenge Cup Round of 16 at Mzuzu Stadium on a date to be announced by the Football Association of Malawi.
Looking forward
Our next assignment is a trip away to Lilongwe for a TNM Super League match against leaders Silver Strikers at Silver Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
We will then complete the Capital City tour next Wednesday with another league fixture against Civil Service United at Civo Stadium.
