The Bullets youngsters made a perfect start to their 2024 FCB Katswiri Under-20 National League campaign with a dominant 3-0 victory over Yizo Yizo Warriors at Kamuzu Stadium on Sunday.
Owen Themu opened the scoring in the first half, and second-half goals from Martin Adam and Precious Kasalanga sealed the opening-day win for the Bullets U19s.
What happened
The start to the league opener was a dominant one for our boys boasted a better head-to-head record over their Sunday opponents in recent times.
Whilst they enjoyed a great start, they were dealt with the blow of losing their playmaker Henry Manganyera just after 19 minutes.
Forced to make an early change, Bullets called Maxwell Sakanamba from the bench and threw him into the brewing tie. The impact was instant from the substitute as we won a corner a minute later which Gift Frank headed wide.
The deadlock would be broken five minutes before the half-hour mark and it was our boys in the driving seat of the tie, thanks to Themu’s header after being picked by a perfect delivery by Vincent Kampira.
With a 1-0 lead the youth of Maule went on to finish the opening half with their attacking pressure intact while the visitors resorted to sit back and absorb it as they created fewer chances.
The second half began with high intensity as Bullets U19s continued to push for a second goal.
Their relentless attack paid off when Adam got on the scoresheet after receiving a cross from Kampira who also orchestrated the opener.
Just after an hour, Bullets made further substitutions, bringing on Issah Felix and Precious Kumbanga for Adam and Themu.
These substitutions had an immediate impact again. Felix scored a goal that was ruled out for offside just four minutes after being introduced. A minute later, he had another chance, but his effort went wide.
In the 69th minute, Felix was fouled inside the area, resulting in a penalty that Kumbanga coldly converted to make it 3-0.
Yizo Yizo Warriors tried to find a consolation goal but were unable to break through the disciplined Bullets defence. In stoppage time, they had a rare moment and managed to win a corner but it was just not their day as our boys’ resilience remained.
In their first game of the season, played a few hours before our main team hosted Civil Service United at the same venue, our boys emerged 3-0 winners.
Sakanamba shines in a starry team display
Off the bench, Sakanamba delivered a thriller which added offensive strength to our youngsters.
The threat he always carried once on the ball and the ripple effect he had on the game truly made him the deserved recipient of the Player of the Match award.
Coach Fodya post Yizo Yizo
“Firstly, let me congratulate the boys on winning the game. It was a difficult match, but our boys played well and controlled the game from the first whistle. This win is what we needed to boost the boys’ confidence for the upcoming games and the entire season.”
Next
Following their comfortable win over Yizo Yizo Warriors, Bullets U19s will continue their campaign next weekend with a fixture against Jimmy Zakazala Academy.
