A strike from Maxwell Sakanamba in the opening half saw FCB Nyasa Big Bullets youth claiming all three points over Assima FC in the FCB Katswiri Under-20 League at Chilomoni Stadium on Monday morning.
What happened
The fixture started with the young Bullets dominating the game looking for a goal early in the opening period
Our Under-19s won the first corner of the game, with Sakanamba’s effort cleared by Assima’s captain Kennedy Iman to deny us an early lead.
The boys continued knocking, keeping the opponents on the chopping board as they had another promising corner kick only for Sakanamba’s effort to sail wide.
Assima had a free kick on the edge of the box but they had their attempt off target.
Bullets broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute through Sakanamba, who didn’t hesitate but sent the ball into the back of the net following a brilliant pass from Adam to change the scoreline to 1-0.
Owen Themu could have doubled the lead but his header hit the post to keep the score unchanged in the 28th minute.
After conceding, Assima started knocking in their search for an equalizer. Vincent Moyo saw his free kick sailing wide before Hanry Misi also saw his strike going over the bar.
The opening half ended with our boys winning 1-0, leaving Assima with a lot of work to do in the final period.
The second half started with Assima pressuring our boys and they won a free kick, which, fortunately for Yamikani Fodya’s side, ended in the hands of Daniel Matumula to keep the scores unchanged.
Fodya made his first substitutions in the 56th minute, Precious Chamangwana, Dominic Kayamba and Charles Mkandawire were introduced into the fray.
The visitors also made two changes by introducing Geoffrey Singano and Francis Kazembe.
Despite all attempts from Assima searching for an equalizer, our youngsters held firm at the back as they also continued pressing looking for another goal.
Adam had a golden opportunity to extend our lead after finding his way through the opposition’s defence, however, his effort was directed wide.
In the last five minutes, Assima won two successive freekicks, but their efforts were not enough to break Bullets, who held firmly to record a hard-fought 1-0 victory.
What it means
Following this win, Bullets Youth have collected 31 points and lead the current league standings.
Fodya’s reaction after the game
“I’m incredibly proud of the boys’ resilience and determination today. We knew it wouldn’t be an easy match, and Assima FC pushed us to the limit in the second half. But our defence held firm and we showed great character to grind out the 1-0 win,” commented the excited Fodya in a post-match interview.
“It’s a massive three points for us, and we’ll enjoy this moment, but we know there’s still a long way to go in the season. We’ll stay humble, keep working hard, and take it one game at a time.”
What Next
Following the hard-earned 1-0 victory, our U19s will return to the training ground to start preparing for their back-to-back fixtures on Friday and Saturday.
