FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Suffer First Home Defeat of the Season in 1-0 Loss to Blue Eagles
FCB Nyasa Big Bullets suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss to Blue Eagles at Kamuzu Stadium on Sunday afternoon, marking their first home defeat of the 2025 TNM Super League season. The result also marked the first time Big Bullets have suffered back-to-back league defeats in several years. Despite dominating possession, the People's Team struggled to unlock a compact Blue Eagles defense and create scoring opportunities.
Returning from their Airtel Top 8 Cup triumph in Lilongwe last weekend, Big Bullets aimed to bounce back in the league following their defeat away to Civil Service United. Head coach Peter Mponda made four changes to the side, handing league starts to Paul Master, Peter Banda, Ephraim Kondowe, and Frank Willard, who wore the armband in place of Lloyd Aaron. However, the visitors, well-drilled under Dekrerk Msakakuona, limited space and broke up Big Bullets' rhythm in the final third.
In the first half, Big Bullets failed to register any shots on target, and their best chance came when Salima's brilliant solo run created an opportunity for Kondowe, whose effort was blocked by defender Ganizani James. At the other end, Eagles threatened on the counter and came close through Laurent Banda, but the forward couldn't keep his effort down from close range.
At the break, Mponda made a triple change, bringing on Hassan Kajoke, Babatunde Adepoju, and Henry Chiwaya to add firepower in the second half. The changes brought renewed energy, but chances remained limited. Chiwaya made a crucial interception to deny Laurent Banda on the break in the 57th minute, and Salima went close with a header from a set piece in the 65th minute. Big Bullets' best chance of the game came in the 72nd minute when Kajoke was played through on goal, but with just the goalkeeper to beat, he couldn't keep his strike on target.
The visitors took the lead in the 79th minute through a counter-attack. After a blocked free-kick, Eagles broke quickly through Sholigah Stambuli, who found Laurent Banda with a pinpoint cross, and the forward made no mistake to put the visitors ahead. Big Bullets threw everything forward in the final minutes and came inches away from an equalizer when Kondowe's thunderous strike hit the post deep into stoppage time.
The loss leaves Big Bullets well-placed in the title race, sitting second with 27 points from 12 matches, six behind the leaders with a game in hand. The team will now focus on responding positively and returning to winning ways in their next match against Mzuzu City Hammers on Thursday at Rumphi Stadium.
The defeat marks a setback for Big Bullets, who have been a force to reckon with in the league in recent years. However, with a game in hand and a midweek league outing against Mzuzu City Hammers coming up, the team remains optimistic about their chances of bouncing back and clinching the title.
Big Bullets fans will be eagerly anticipating their team's return to winning ways, and the upcoming match against Mzuzu City Hammers promises to be an exciting encounter. Stay tuned for more updates on the TNM Super League title race.
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Summary: FCB Nyasa Big Bullets suffered a 1-0 loss to Blue Eagles at home in a TNM Super League match, their first defeat at Kamuzu Stadium this season. Despite dominating possession, the team struggled to unlock a compact Eagles defense and created few scoring chances. In the second half, coach Peter Mponda made triple changes but chances remained limited. The visitors took the lead in the 79th minute through a cross from Laurent Banda, and the team came close to an equalizer but couldn't find the net. The loss is the first home defeat of the season and the first back-to-back league defeats in several years, but the team remains well-placed in the title race with 27 points from 12 matches, six behind the leaders with a game in hand. The team will now focus on responding positively and returning to winning ways in their next match against Mzuzu City Hammers on Thursday.
