FCB Nyasa Big Bullets and Mighty Mukuru Wanderers dazzled fans with a brilliant display of football in Blantyre Derby Saturday afternoon in a match which finished in a 1-1 draw at Kamuzu Stadium.
Mighty Mukuru Wanderers were 1-0 up at halftime before Patrick Mwaungulu equalized in the second half to false a draw.
The intensity of the encounter as well as the numerous incredible plays that occurred further showed why these two rivals are the best in the country. With both teams playing at the highest level, Blantyre Derby was beauty yet again.
But no matter the outcome, fans will be discussing key issues. Conversations about the game could go on until the next meeting, but we will take a look at the most important discussion points from the match.
• Draw Derby
A still ongoing streak has seen the Blantyre Derby ending in draws in the top flight League since August 14, 2022 when the Nomads came from behind to force a 3-3 draw against Bullets.
Since that six-goal thriller, the two teams drew twice, 0-0 and 1-1 in the 2023 season.
The last time any team claimed maximum points was March 2021 when Bullets beat Wanderers 2-1 before losing a return fixture 1-0 in October, same year.
They are now two games away from equaling their joint-longest streak of six consecutive draws recorded from April 30, 2016 to May 1, 2021.
• All square
The draw leaves Bullets and Wanderers level on equal footing with nine points after today’s draw.
The two giants are separated with a single goal with the Nomads staying third while Bullets fourth on standings.
The two have so far won twice, drawing thrice to remain four points behind leaders Silver Strikers.
• Cleensheets finally ends
The TNM Super League leading clean sheets goalkeeper Richard Chipuwa has conceded his first goal of the season today.
It was Chipuwa’s fourth game to feature and he managed to keep cleensheets in Wanderers’s wins over Creck Sporting and FOMO FC and also in a goalless draws against Bangwe All Stars.
But his excellent run of cleensheets came to an end courtesy of Patrick Mwaungulu’s 49th minute equalizer.
The Nomads have so far conceded two goals in five games, with Chipuwa and William Thole conceding a goal each.
• Kanjere shines
Mayamiko Kanjere and his team can hold their heads high after excellent officiating at Kamuzu Stadium – he let the game flow and made the correct decisions in the entire match.
Kanjere attracted people’s attention days before the game when National Referees Association replaced him with Easter Zimba as the centre referee after protest by Bullets who claimed he mismanaged their game against Dedza. But later, the decision was reversed and he was reinstated to take charge of the game after SULOM intervention.
People thought he would handle the game under pressure but he proved them wrong after a commendable performance.
When asked to comment on the officiation, Bullets coach Kalisto Pasuwa said “I don’t have any problem with the officiation today”.
• Huge patronage
The Blantyre Derby has set new record after grossing K80.4 million for the first time, an increase of about K12 million from last year’s K16.5 million.
Each team went away with K16.7 million, as their 30 percent shares.
This is a clear indication that fans still trust their teams despite that the encounter has been predictable in recent years.
