Flying tackles, two dismissals and six goals— this was a thriller of Kamuzu Stadium where Nyasa Big Bullets flirted with defeat before digging their way out to a 3-3 draw against 10-man Red Lions on Monday.
A temperamental TNM Super League match that produced all the drama ended with the quietest man around the stadium, Bullets’ Assistant Coach, Mabvuto Lungu, kicking a water bottle on the touchline in frustration.
The reaction to the final whistle of Lungu suggested that this was two points dropped rather than a point gained for the defending champions who remain on second place with 40 points from 22 games.
As Bullets wasted a chance to go top, leaders, Silver Strikers too, settled for a goalless draw against Epac yesterday in Lilongwe. The Bankers have 41 points from 21 games whereas Epac have 27 points from 21 games while lying 10th.
Bullets’ Team Manager, Rahim Ishmael, admitted that his charges, who made the most of the dismissal of Lions’ striker, Loti Chawinga, after a second bookable offence, had a run for their money.
“It was a tough match. Conceding two goals inside 20 minutes stunned us, but credit to the team for fighting back. Football was the winner,” Ishmael said in a post-match interview.
Coming into the game after two back-to-back wins and undefeated in five matches, Lions roared and imposed themselves on the game with Kelvin Katema nodding in from Mphatso Ngwira’s 28th minute free-kick.
Bullets’ right-back, Pilirani Zonda, had fouled Katema to gift the visitors the free-kick.
Eight minutes later, Chawinga swept in the second after shrugging off retreating Bullets’ defender, Maneno Nyoni. Bullets’ striker, Muhammad Sulumba, had lost the possession after an aimless run with the ball in the Lions’ half before a long ball was pumped into the channels on the other end.
Having earlier been booked for time-wasting while receiving treatment on the pitch, Chawinga turned villain in the 40th minute when he earned a second yellow card and with it, a red card for simulation.
In the heat of the moment, Lions’ Coach, Mike Kumanga, was also dismissed after exchanging words with the officiating personnel. That proved to be the turning point of the game as the soldiers lost their cool.
The visitors came back from the dressing room very deflated. They stopped playing the ball, but kicked and rushed play with Benesi Kaisi replacing playmaker Katema. Bullets responded to their numerical advantage by introducing Dave Ng’ambi for Nyoni.
Barely five minutes into the second half, Sulumba made amends when he scored for Bullets in a counterattack, only for McPeter Makwale to restore the advantage off a rebound after a free-kick in the 56th minute.
Bullets, who remain unbeaten at this stadium in all competitions, soon crawled their way back into the game after their cause was helped by the Lions’ suspect defending and failure to keep possession.
Striker Collen Nkhulambe, who had stepped in for Dalitso Sailesi, further reduced Bullets’ arrears when rising to nod in a long diagonal ball. Lions’ goalkeeper, Clement Mlombwa, who was guilty of poor positioning, failed to anticipate Nkhulambe’s header.
Bullets’ other substitute, Anzeru Joseph, made the third goal from a left corner-kick which Chiukepo Msowoya glanced at the near post in the 80th minute. Nkhulambe came close to adding the winner, but he sent his effort over the frame.
Elsewhere, hosts Dwangwa United hammered visiting Civo United 3-1 to leave the civil servants in relegation zone on 19 points.
Civo have 19 points from 22 games. Other strugglers, Karonga United lost 1-0 to Mzuni in Mzuzu also on Monday.
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