Martin Adam’s first-half strike was not enough as FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Reserves conceded two penalties in the final half to lose 2-1 against Ndirande Stars in the FCB Katswiri Under 20 League at Chilomoni Stadium on Saturday.
What happened
The match had a blistering start with both teams looking for an early goal and the first chance fell to Ndirande, who won a free-kick in a good position inside the first five minutes but Chimwemwe Manase had his effort wide.
Sakanamba could have broken the deadlock for our junior side in the 9th minute but his attempt went straight into the palms of Daudi Singano.
Bullets continued their search for a goal early in the half and won the first corner kick of the match, which the visitors defended well.
Chimodzi had a chance in the 13th minute, however he blasted his effort over the bar, and two minutes later, Stars came close only for Precious Khan to head off target.
In the 27th minute, Adam was found by Brian Mwase, but the midfielder missed a golden chance to open the scoring.
Our efforts paid off in the 32nd minute when Adam had the ball in the back of the net after Singano and his defence failed to communicate and gifted the ball to the young Bullet who pounced to put our youngsters in the lead before halftime, 1-0
Ndirande made a double change at the start of the final half, introducing Fortune Phiri and Enock Mpando.
The visitors won a free kick outside the area and Tchukambiri did well to clear the danger, conceding a corner kick in the 47th minute and the set piece was wasted.
Bullets responded with a triple substitution, bringing on Issah Felix, Precious Kumbanga and Geoffrey Kamwendo for Adam, Osman George and Chimodzi.
Kumbanga nearly made an immediate with a golden opportunity to double our lead in the 50th minute, but the youngster failed to capitalize on Felix’s clever setup, leaving the visitors with a sigh of relief.
Ndirande nearly pounced when they exploited young Maule’s defensive mistake but Phiri shot wide.
Sensing danger, Yamikani Fodya made another substitution at the stroke of the hour mark when Dominic Kayamba replaced Brian.
The visitors continued piling pressure on Fodya’s boys and it paid off as Blessings Chiku handled the ball in the penalty area. Manase stepped up and made no mistake to pull level from the spot, sending the match into a thrilling conclusion.
With momentum on their side, Ndirande Stars continued putting more pressure and Bullets conceded another penalty following a misjudged handball inside the area. Christopher Kamwendo scored a second spot kick for the visitors in less than ten minutes, leaving Bullets stunned and demoralized.
The final whistle blew, and the Stars celebrated a remarkable comeback, leaving the young Maule to suffer their second defeat in the league this campaign.
What it means
Following this defeat, Bullets have lost two of the 14 games played so far, but are still top of the league table.
Fodya’s post-match reaction
“We knew it would be a challenging game, but we didn’t expect to concede two penalties. We had our chances but failed to capitalize on them. We need to regroup and refocus on our next match.”
What Next
Our U19s will be looking to bounce back as they return to action next weekend to wrap up the first round of the league campaign.
