FCB Nyasa Big Bullets cruised into the FDH Bank Cup final following a 5-1 thumping of Dedza at Kamuzu Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The defending champions became the first side to reach the final of this prestigious national competition for the second time running.
Strikes from Collins Okumu, Hassan Kajoke, MacFallen Mgwira and a brace from Anthony Mfune inspired Kalisto Pasuwa’s charges to a comfortable semi-final victory to set up a showdown against Mafco FC.
What happened
Pasuwa made four changes to the side that defeated Mighty Tigers 1-0 in the TNM Super League at the same venue on Thursday by handing a first-time start to Chinedu Okafor alongside Clyde Senaji, Righteous Banda and Mfune.
The untried combination wasted no time in striking up cohesion and ensured that Bullets moved into the final of the cup we first won last season.
Maule broke the deadlock just after two minutes when Collins Okumu produced a powerful header to beat Donnex Mwakasinga in goal for the visitors.
The Kenyan centre-back was found unmarked in the penalty box by Patrick Mwaungulu’s excellent delivery from a free kick.
Gilbert Chirwa’s men almost levelled the scoreline moments later when they launched a counterattack from the left side of the field after Promise Kamwendo’s was set up by Ochaya Okot, but the attacker’s effort was put out of danger by Chiyenda for a corner kick which Bullets easily defended.
From there, it was Bullets creating plenty of goal-scoring opportunities, with Okafor coming closer to doubling the lead in the 13th minute but his attempt was well blocked by Justice Chihoma for a set piece which was well dealt with by Mwakasinga.
Okot had his moment of brilliance in the 20th minute when his long-range effort almost caught Bullets’ defence napping in the line of duty but it went wide off Chiyenda’s left-hand upright.
Mwakasinga produced a moment of brilliance just before the half-hour mark when he stopped Mfune from registering his name on the score sheet with an excellent save. The forward was at the receiving end of Gomezgani Chirwa’s dazzling cross and pounced near-post only to be denied by the visiting goalkeeper.
The shot-stopper was the busier of the two goalkeepers as he was called into action yet again to deny Mwaungulu from extending Bullets’s lead from a set piece which resulted in another corner kick missed by Okafor from close range.
With 35 minutes played, the 1-0 margin was not a true reflection of the game as Bullets had created lots of clearcut chances but our frontmen kept on firing blanks to the disappointment of Pasuwa who was up on the touchline.
The tactician made a first-half substitution when he brought in Kajoke for Okafor to try to improve his attacking prowess in search of more goals to completely kill off Dedza’s hopes of making a comeback, but the opening half ended 1-0.
Going for the final period, the visitors started brightly but were left guilty of coughing up possession in the dangerous area. They should have conceded more goals in the opening minutes of the second half, but again, Bullets kept on missing chance after chance.
In the 54th minute, Chiyenda came to the hosts’ rescue with an excellent save to deny Alex Benson from finding the back of the net when Bullets’ defence was caught off-guard through a well-crafted counterattack from Chipala and Okot in the middle of the park.
Kajoke doubled our lead in the 65th minute through a well-organized attack orchestrated by Mwaungulu, who released Chirwa to the right flank and the wingback delivered a delicious ball into the box to find our number 9 who wasted no time but head past defenceless Mwakasinga, 2-0.
The game was put beyond Dedza’s reach in the 69th minute when Mfune scored from a rebound after Mwakasinga’s first-attempt save from Chawanangwa Gumbo’s low strike, 3-0.
Mfune doubled his tally with a simple finish in the 73rd minute when he was found unmarked by Mwaungulu’s pass to the far end of the visitors’ penalty box, 4-0.
Pasuwa introduced Thomson Magombo, Mgwira, Ernest Petro and Lanjesi Nkhoma for Mwaungulu, Banda, Gumbo and Mfune to try to balance up and maintain our comfortable lead as Chirwa brought on Ibrahim Sadik and Simeon Singa for Dakalira and Charles Chipala.
In search of a consolation goal, the visitors found the back of the net in the 86th minute through Gift Magola, who capitalized on a defensive error by Okumu, who lost possession inside his defensive area.
But the four-goal margin was restored in the 89th minute through a beautiful strike from Mgwira, who spotted Mwakasinga out of his goal line and chipped the ball over the shot-stopper into the top corner, 5-1.
What it means
The victory saw The People’s Team cruising into another FDH Bank Cup final and will face the Salima-based Mafco, who defeated our city rivals Mighty Mukuru Wanderers to become the first finalist of the 2023 campaign last weekend.
Gumbo wins another Man of the Match award
The midfielder, who joined us from Ekwendeni Hammers in November, was voted the best performer following his electric performance that inspired us to the 5-1 hammering of the stubborn Dedza Dynamos that edged three Super League teams to reach the last four of the FDH Bank Cup this season.
Gumbo continues settling fittingly at Bullets, winning his second successive Man of the Match accolade in three days after he picked up another award in our 1-0 victory over Mighty Tigers in the TNM Super League on Thursday.
What’s next for Bullets?
Pasuwa’s men will now switch their focus to the CAF Champions League second preliminary round return match away to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s TP Mazembe in Lubumbashi on Saturday.
