League leaders Agumbala FC demonstrated resilience in a hard-fought 1-0 win over FCB Nyasa Big Bullets U19s in the FCB Katswiri Under 20 League at Mpira Stadium on Sunday.
What happened
The game burst into life from the outset, with both teams seeking to establish dominance.
In the second minute, Dalison Yawanda struck gold, exploiting our defensive miscommunication to give the hosts a stunning lead.
Boniface Ndanela could have doubled Agumbala’s lead six minutes later with a well-crafted menacing corner kick. Hopeson Phiri came to our rescue with a heroic clearance that denied the hosts a second goal.
Bullets continued to search for an equalizer, and Brian Mwase nearly got one. However, the youngster wasted a golden opportunity when he sent his strike off target after receiving a brilliant pass from Vincent Kampira.
In the 30th minute, Precious Chamangwana’s clever set-piece quick play with Osman George pushed the hosts’ defence to the limit but failed to capitalize.
Kelvin Chimodzi had a chance in the 36th minute but he blasted his header over the far post before Chamangwana’s powerful shot begged for a finishing touch as Bullets Youth’s attacking woes persisted.
The opening half ended with Agumbala leading 1-0, leaving the Bullets youngsters with a daunting task ahead.
As the second half began, Yamikani Fodya made two substitutions, introducing Blessings Lungu and Charles Kasalanga to replace George and Chimodzi as he was looking for fresh legs.
Kasalanga nearly made an immediate impact with a chance to equalize, but his powerful effort sailed wide.
Agumbala mounted some pressure and they won a corner kick in the 50th minute. Promise Bwanali should have doubled their lead, however, his effort was skillfully parried away by Phiri.
Bullets made the last substitution, with Hassan Madula and Issa Felix brought into the fray for Adam and Mwase as we looked to boost our attack.
In the 68th minute, our U19s won a free kick on the edge of the box after Kampira was brought down. Chamangwana’s free-kick and a subsequent corner kick were all cleared by Daniel James.
The hosts made their first substitutions of the match late in the final half as Bwanali and Ndanela were replaced by Innocent Mbewe and Miracle Chipatala.
After the 80th minute, the game ended 1-0 in favour of Agumbala and Bullets rued the missed opportunities.
What it means
Following the 1-0 defeat against the league leaders Agumbala, our U19s have 51 points and are still in position two from 26 games.
Fodya post-match reactions
“We knew it would be a challenging match but we didn’t expect to concede early. We dominated possession and created chances, but failed to capitalize. We’ll work on our finishing.”
