…..Civil 2-1 Bullets
By Edwin Mbewe
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Civil Service United displayed a splendid game to register a remarkable 2-1 victory at home Civo Stadium over Blantyre giants, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets on Saturday.
Going into the game as underdogs, the Servants showcased the whole intent of winning the mouth watering battle as they pressed the visitors in their own half.
However, failed to utilize several chances they created.
In the 13th minute, Civil won a free kick in Bullet’s defensive half after Hassan Kajoke brought down Damiano Kunje but the set piece was cleared by midfielder, Frank Willard.
Blessings Malinda created another scoring opportunity through his pressure in the offensive zone but goalkeeper Richard Chimbamba saved his relatively weak shot.
Bullets reacted moments later as Babatunde Adepoju evaded the offside trap but lost possession when he attempted to find Hassan Kajoke on the opposite side of the box.
Bullets’ head coach Peter “Mjojo” Mponda feeling unsatisfied with the play, made an early change as former Premier Bet Dedza Dynamos’ Lameck Gamphani replaced Hassan Kajoke in the 36th minute. Still the home side continued tormenting Bullets who were disjointed in many areas including in the middle-of the pack.
The visitors however, registered their first goal attempt through Phodo in the 38th minute, but his shot from a Babatunde Adepoju’ flick was deflected out for a corner that was defended by the host who stood firmly in defence.
As the first stanza matured, the home side won another free kick near Bullets’ penalty box as Henry Chiwaya fouled defender, Damiano Kunje in the 42nd minute which was successfully and easily defended.
Civo nearly scored in the 45th minute as Chiwaya lost possession to Malinda who later set up Chikaiko Batison.
However, he fired the ball over the cross bar in a one-on-one situation with goal-minder Chimbamba and soon the grade one FIFA referee Godfrey Nkhakananga blew the whistle to end the half at 0-0.
Second half started with high intensity as the home side pressed hard to break the deadlock, their question was answered in the 48th minute as John Dambuleni put the Servants in the lead following a commotion inside Bullets’ defensive area from a Yankho Billiat ball. This was Dambuleni’s first goal of the season.
Mponda replied by substituting Wongani Lungu and Yamikani Mologeni for Ephraim Kondowe and Ernest Petro in the 55th minute.
Kondowe however didn’t wait for more minutes before putting the affairs at level with his second touch. He unleashed a powerful shot inside the six-yard box to make it 1-1 in the 57th minute.
The goal hyped the tempo of the game as both teams kept pressing each other end-to-end. Bullets found another golden opportunity through Maxwell Gasten Phodo who was set up by Ephraim Kondowe however his effort was majestically saved by Rahaman John and from a rebound, Adepoju fired wide.
In the 76th minute Bullets made another change as Paul Master was given his Super league debut after joining the Blantyre giants from Blue Eagles FC.
Moses Banda for the home side gave the visitors troubles as he kept advancing aggressively.
As the match was thought to end in a 1-1 draw, Civo got another corner kick in the 87th minute and Blessings Malinda delivered a beautiful ball into the box targeting Banda’s head who made no mistake but to head it home beating Chimbamba on goals to make it 2-1.
Moments later, the match ended and Moses Banda was voted player of the match with Bullets suffering their second loss of the season.
Civo Stadium has been a hostile venue for Bullets as they have now failed to register a win in four consecutive seasons now with previous three visits ending in spoils.
In a post match interview Bullets head coach, Peter Mponda acknowledged his side did not come for the party.
“Our fighting spirit was down unlike our counterparts. We were relaxed may be it was over confidence amongst the boys. We have conceded from a set-piece which we could defend, the time we scored our stunning goal we were supposed to build momentum which we didn’t.
“Yes it’s our second defeat and we expect more to come but more importantly is to win the league at the end of the season”, narrated Mponda.
His counterpart, Abbas Makawa was very excited with the victory. “We created numerous chances but converted few but we are happy we have collected maximum points. We are still building the team as we don’t have a hitman as of now. Our game plan really worked today”, said Makawa.
Bullets despite the loss still top the table with 27 points from 11 games, however, they might be displaced with their cross-town arch rivals, Mighty Wanderers who plays Ekhaya FC at Kamuzu Stadium on Sunday if they manage to get a win.
On the other hand, the Servants moved four places up as they sit on 11th position from 14. They have 13 points from 11 games.