Additional reporting by Erik Chiputula
FCB Nyasa Big Bullets fired two late bullets to overpower Zambia’s Champions, Red Arrows in the Caf Champions League. The People’s Team claimed a narrow 2-1 win over Airmen, pending the return leg to be played in Zambia in the next few days.
Bullets had to do it the hard way as they battled back to keep their hopes of staging a repetition of last season’s fixture against TP Mazembe where they lost 6-0 on aggregate.
The win means that Bullets have scored twice at Bingu National Stadium for the first time in the Caf Champions League- they scored once against Amazulu FC and Dragon FC but fired blunt against Simba SC and Mazembe.
Scoring twice is something that the coach, Kalisto Pasuwa is going to be delighted with.
Ricky Banda’s goal would have been nerve-wracking to Bullets fans ahead of the second game.
The visitors took the lead in the second half, but Babatunde Adepoju and Precious Phiri combined to propel the home side.
For the first time in a while, the Club’s President, Konrad Buckle was among the crowd that turned up for the game. He moved to greet fans thereby injecting confidence in the players to use grind results anyway.
Kalisto Pasuwa knew that he needed goals to win, and Frank Willard was dropped to the bench, but he will not watch it from terraces in Zambia.
Yankho Singo did his duty wonderfully and he was involved in the build-up to the equalising goal.
Chisi Mbewe, Head Coach for Arrows, wasn’t available to grant interviews to the press before the game on Saturday. Instead, he sent his assistant, Kalililo Kakonje.
“We are safe to say that we have done our research on Bullets and we are okay with it,” Kakonje told the press on Saturday.
The visitors were bathing in their rich vein of form after winning three trophies recently, Zambia’s League, Charity Shield Cup,, and Cecafa Cup.
They looked comfortable on the ball in the first but they could have swallowed two goals already by 20 minutes.
“We are going to approach the game with cautiousness, and we are playing away from home to make our life easier; we cannot come into this game to open, but we are here to get a result,” the Assistant Coach said before the game.
However, in practicality, Bullets opened them frequently, and scoring just two goals is something that Kalisto Pasuwa has been raising as a concern.
Sambani’s return to the starting team added to the team’s creativity as Maxwell Phodo and Babatunde Adepoju adjacently failed to utilize his inviting cross from the left flank.
Phodo was slotted into the right wing with Chitiyo playing behind Babatunde, but the former Silver Strikers forward knew how to pocket space, only that he wasn’t composed enough.
He had a big opportunity to send Bullets into celebration after Arrows’ defense caught napping, but he opted for power instead of direction, and goal-keeper Charles Kalumba produced a magnificent save to deny him before his header flew into the air.
Former Zanaco Football Club attacker Ackim Mumba was lively for the visitors, but Gomezgani Chirwa was good enough to handle his pace and creativity.
He switched to the other flank after the restart. Richard Chimbamba was invited to make his first save of the day in the 25th minute when he brilliantly thwarted Mumba’s curling effort.
Chimbamba could have hogged headlines with his kindergarten howler. His attempting pass to Nixon Nyasulu was blocked by the opposition’s striker before the ball landed on the feet of Godfrey Ngwenya, but the goalkeeper was quick to amend his error by denying the visitors the lead in the 30th minute.
After Phodo’s effort was saved by Kalumba, Brian Chilimina made his way into Bullets’s zone before releasing a thunderous left-footed shot that was well saved by Richard Chimbamba.
Chitiyo was unfortunate to be a culprit of Pasuwa’s substitution in the second half but he has an admirable game.
The way he rifled over the bar wasn’t blamed but people appreciated his technical ability to move out of two defenders just before the break.
Early in the second half, the hosts were on top of their game. Precious Phiri forced the keeper to make a marvelous save after pouncing on Maxwell Gastin Phodo’s cross from the right flank before the Chimbamba invited applause from the home matchgoers.
Nixon Nyasulu made a brilliant interception but Bullets succumbed to the same mistakes.
Ricky Banda managed to receive the ball, turn, and poke it beyond the keeper after the cross from Ackim Mumba. Despite trailing, the supporters increased their noise to power their team.
Precious Sambani earned praise from Pasuwa after the game due to his experience; his combination with Precious Phiri gave Bullets an edge in the attacking zone as they kept on swapping positions. Sambani’s ball was headed over by Babatunde.
The hosts responded to the supporters’ noise. Babatunde Adepoju was on the score sheet. He scored his seventh goal in seven games.
His pressing was marvelous, but Lloyd Aaron Banega was the architect of the goal.
The former Civil Service United midfielder beat three opponents before finding Yankho Singo, whose pass found the path of Babatunde, who overpowered his marker to thunder it home in the 77th minute.
Bullets scored twice in five minutes. Precious Phiri propelled Bullets past Civil Service United in the FDH Bank Cup; this time, he celebrated in front of the Club’s President after scoring the winner.
Babatunde’s equalizing goal injected power into the Bullets as they pushed from all angles.
Supporters were in a frenzy. Stanley Billiati’s introduction allowed Bullets to penetrate. After conceding from the set-pieces, Bullets scored from set-pieces.
Billiati’s corner kick failed to be defended by the visitors, and Babatunde laid it off to Phiri, who pressed it against the bottom left corner.
Arrows piled late pressure, and Nixon Nyasulu, Clyde Senaji Navade, Precious Sambani, and Gomezgani Chirwa locked the defense. Bullets held on to win it.
Arrows’ start to the game signaled that they were going to play containment football.
Arrows returned to the continental stage since 2021/22 season where they booted out in the Preliminary Round and they will have to beat Bullets in the return leg to avoid the repetition of unwanted record.
Arrows sat back to catch Bullets on a counter-attack but the hosts refused to open. Mazembe scored twice in the first half last year but the Airmen could have swallowed more than three goals in the first half, thanks to Bullets’ profligacy.
Chisi Mbewe’s men’s serious attempt came in after 25 minutes from Mumba, but it wasn’t powerful enough to trouble Richard Chimbamba, who has regained his place in Pasuwa’s team.
Brian Chilimia showed what Arrows could do in front of the supporters. He cut inside before releasing a hammer shot from his weaker foot but Chimbamba appetizingly flew to push it away.
Chisi, whose mother is from Malawi, introduced Saddam Yusuf Phiri to Cedrick Onyumbu at the restart.
The Captain helped Arrows to eat Bullets in midfield and they stole the lead but couldn’t withstand pressure from the hosts.
