FCB Nyasa Big Bullets head coach Kalisto Pasuwa says he anticipated a slow start from his players when they hosted Kamuzu Barracks in the TNM Super League at Kamuzu Stadium on Wednesday afternoon because they are tired.
The defending champions had to come from behind after conceding in the first half to register a 3-2 win over the 2016 league winners, who broke the deadlock in the 11th minute through Olson Kanjira’s strike.
Ephraim Kondowe and Maxwell Gasten Phodo put us in a comeback lead after the restart, but Kanjira levelled things up before Lanjesi Nkhoma decided what was not an easy encounter for The People’s Team, who were coming from another league fixture, beating Chitipa United 2-0 on Saturday.
In his post-match reaction, Pasuwa hailed his players for raising their tempo to find an equalizer after trailing 1-0 at half-time to win the match despite showing some signs of fatigue due to a fixture pile-up as Bullets have been involved in four competitions these past three months, playing 18 games in the TNM Super League, CAF Champions League, FDH Bank Cup and the Airtel Top 8.
“Definitely, it was going to be [a slow start]. The team is tired and you can’t expect anything good from them. There are times as a coach that I would end up quiet because we are using a human body that also needs to recover. As you saw, we started very slowly and they couldn’t even react, in most cases, the opposition was on top of us but well done to the boys for the efforts. They came good in the second half and we got the goals that won the game.
“I am very proud of what they did. But again, to look for an equalizer you need to raise the tempo and these boys will come in the second half and push for an equalizer and then you know, the next game is affected [as they will start slowly again]. These boys pushed themselves up [today] especially Ephraim Kondowe, an unknown player but now he is one of the best players in the team,” he explained.
The defending champions have now accumulated 53 points, three above their closest chasers and rivals Mighty Mukuru Wanderers, who have played two more games than Pasuwa’s charges.
The latest win sees Bullets registering 20 wins across domestic competitions and remain unbeaten since their 1-0 defeat away to Chitipa United in June.
Next on the menu is the return leg of the Airtel Top 8 quarterfinal tie against Civil Service United at Kamuzu Stadium on Saturday. Bullets have a 2-goal advantage over the Lilongwe-based side.
