FCB Nyasa Big Bullets coach Kalisto Pasuwa was excited to see the offensive part of his team’s record-breaking afternoon when they scored 22 goals against Kumanda All Stars in the Castel Challenge Cup at Kamuzu Stadium on Saturday.
Bullets set a new record in Malawian football with a cricket scoreline, finding the back of the net 11 times in the first half and 11 in the final period against the non-league side in the Round-of-64 tie to advance to the next round.
Chawanangwa Gumbo scored eight goals, with Precious Phiri bagging six and Stanley Billiat pitching four, while Chikumbutso Salima netted a brace, with Chitiyo and Kondowe scoring a goal each.
This massive scoreline was the first recorded by The People’s Team following our 8-0 win over TN Stars in the TNM Super League in the 2022 season.
Speaking to the media soon after the final whistle, Pasuwa expressed his excitement about how his charges performed on the day.
“There isn’t much to talk about. It’s only maybe the offensive part, the mindset of the boys of saying we are playing these guys and let’s show them that we are a Super League team and they are a non-league side. You could see how ruthless we were. Every time, we sat in the last third of attacking, and we got the goals coming, so I am very happy with how we attacked and created those goal-scoring opportunities,” reacted the Bullets gaffer.
Pasuwa used most of the players who haven’t been active for the team in the current season, making nine changes to the side that won 1-0 against Mafco in the league on Sunday. He was happy with their performance, scoring 11 goals in each half.
“The attitude of having 11 goals in the first half showed how hungry they were to play football. I thought we would struggle the way we did when we faced another non-league side last season, but these guys’ approach was very positive, and you could see that they wanted to win. I wasn’t surprised to see such a score margin at the end of the match. I am happy with how they played,” he explained.
Pasuwa was also asked his thoughts on the national competition’s format, which pairs top-flight teams against non-league teams in the Round-of-64 stage.
He commented: “As a coach, I can’t comment much on that. I was one person who was against starting the competition from the Round of 64 because I felt it was too much, but again, we are one of the teams participating, so we also need to see how best we can perform in this competition from the start to the final round.”
For the first time in 12 months, Bullets welcomed back Alick Lungu from a lengthy injury sustained during our Airtel Top 8 Cup semi-final tie against Blue Eagles last season at Bingu National Stadium.
Pasuwa described Lungu’s return as a plus even though several of his injured players are recovering towards the end of the season.
“Yes, [it’s] very good news for us. A lot of my injured players are coming back though very late, but we are happy to see them back in action.”
Bullets will switch their attention to the second quarter-final leg tie of the Airtel Top 8 against Civil Service United after the international break.
The People’s Team has a 2-0 advantage from the first leg over the Lilongwe-based side.
