Silver Strikers Ladies Hand FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Women Their First Defeat in NBM Women’s Premiership
FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Women suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Silver Strikers Ladies in a closely contested NBM Women’s Premiership match played at Mpira Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. The loss ended Bullets' two-match winning streak and came just days after their derby victory over Mighty Wanderers Queens.
Silver Strikers Ladies, the unbeaten league leaders, stretched their perfect record to eight wins from eight matches and remain at the top of the table. Bullets, who have now played eight games, stay third with 13 points.
The first half of the game saw both sides start brightly, with FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Women having the first chance when Lyna James’ teasing corner found defender Bernadetta Mkandawire. Her header went narrowly wide, but it was a sign of the Bullets' intent to dominate possession.
Captain Zainab Kapanda was then forced off with an injury in the 21st minute and replaced by Chikondi Mgodi, an early setback for the hosts. Silver Strikers Ladies responded with attacking intent, and Ireen Khumalo nearly broke the deadlock with a well-taken free kick. Goalkeeper Thokozani Mwase was equal to the task, making an excellent save to keep the score goalless.
As the first half wore on, both teams battled fiercely in midfield, with clear-cut chances limited. The first half ended goalless after five minutes of stoppage time, with Mwase producing another fine stop to deny Silver just before the break.
The second half saw Silver Strikers Ladies come out stronger, taking the lead in the 49th minute when Deborah Henry found space inside the box to fire home the opener. FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Women introduced Ioulia Yiannakis and Linda Nyangu in search of an equalizer, but found it difficult to break through Silver's disciplined defense.
Despite a spirited late push during seven minutes of added time, Bullets couldn't find a breakthrough and fell narrowly at home. Bullets coach Maggie Chombo admitted her side struggled to maintain their first-half rhythm in the second period. "In the first half, we played very well, but in the second half we didn’t perform to the same level and ended up conceding an easy goal due to a defensive lapse," she said.
Chombo further acknowledged the physical toll of a demanding schedule and the impact of injuries on her squad. "We have a number of injured players, and that’s really costing our game plan," she explained. "But we must utilize the players available and make sure we get results going forward."
Following Wednesday’s match, focus now shifts to national duty as several Bullets Women players have joined the Malawi women’s national team camp, which kicked off today in Blantyre ahead of this month’s WAFCON Qualifiers against Angola. Goalkeeper Thokozani Mwase, defenders Bernadetta Mkandawire and Sharon Dzimau, along with midfielder and captain Zainab Kapanda, have all been called into Coach Lovemore Fazili’s provisional squad.
The Scorchers will travel to Angola for the first leg on Thursday, 23 October, before hosting the return fixture on Tuesday, 28 October at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.
Summary: In a closely contested NBM Women’s Premiership match, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Women fell 1-0 to Silver Strikers Ladies at Mpira Stadium. Despite a spirited performance, Bullets were undone by a second-half strike against the unbeaten league leaders. The defeat ended their two-match winning streak and came just days after their Blantyre derby victory over Mighty Wanderers Queens. Silver Strikers, who have now stretched their perfect record to eight wins from eight matches, remain top of the table. Bullets, who have played eight games, stay third with 13 points and will look to regroup and bounce back stronger in their next fixtures. In the first half, both sides started brightly, showing intent to dominate possession. Bullets had an early chance when Lyna James' teasing corner found Bernadetta Mkandawire, but the defender's header went narrowly wide. Silver responded with attacking intent and nearly broke the deadlock through Ireen Khumalo, but goalkeeper Thokozani Mwase was equal to the task, making an excellent save from a well-taken free kick. As the half wore on, both teams battled fiercely in midfield, though clear-cut chances were limited. The first half ended goalless after five
