FCB Nyasa Big Bullets exorcised the demons that have haunted them in the Caf Champions League since 2015 following a 1-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea champions Dragon FC at Bingu National Stadium (BNS) in Lilongwe Sunday.
The result means Bullets have advanced to the second preliminary round of the competition 3-0 on aggregate after winning the first match 2-0 in Malabo.
Bullets will now face Democratic Republic of Congo and continental giants TP Mazembe, with the first leg of the encounter being slated for September 16 at BNS.
Bullets have broken an eight-year jinx of failing to reach the second round of the competition since 2015.
But in front of a huge crowd, Bullets finally got it right to be assured of more continental football.
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After the final whistle, the atmosphere was terrific in Lilongwe, with blaring car horns and red and white flags the common feature.
The capital was painted red and white and no one could blame the ecstatic fans who had waited eight years for this great moment to come.
The fans turned up in large numbers with the hope of seeing Bullets win with a cricket score but the visitors were solid at the back.
However, Bullets could have scored more than one goal in the first half but lack of composure upfront cost them.
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Maxwell Gasten Phodo, who scored both goals in the first leg last week, was the major culprit as he missed three scoring opportunities.
On the other hand, Dragon also wasted two scoring opportunities following Richard Chimbamba’s blunders.
Bullets broke the deadlock through striker Ephraim Kondowe, who came off the bench to score the only goal of the match after fellow substitute Patrick Mwaungulu put him through in the 67th minute.
After the goal, the visitors tried to reorganise themselves but Bullets held on for a sweet home victory.
Bullets finished the game with 10 men after Yamikani Fodya was shown a red card for fouling a Dragon striker on the edge of the box.
Captain Simon Rene Nanga, who had a grand game, blasted the resultant free kick over the bar.
After the red card, coach Kalisto Pasuwa brought in Blessings Mpokera for midfielder Frank Willard.
Towards the end of the match, Kenneth Pasuwa and Nickson Nyasulu were also introduced for Mwaungulu and Lanjesi Nkhoma.
After the match, Pasuwa praised his troops for showing great character.
“We created several chances but we were a bit wasteful in front of goal. But the good thing is that we are in the second round. So we just have to prepare well for the big match against Mazembe,” Pasuwa said.
His Dragon counterpart Nicolas Bibang Nchama said his team played well despite missing some players.
“I am very happy with how my players performed. It is unfortunate that we lost. It was tough for us because some of my players arrived after the game due to some logistical challenges,” Nchama said.
