TNM Super League leaders FCB Nyasa Big Bullets have put one hand on the TNM Super League title after beating Karonga United 1-0 at Karonga ground Thursday.
Bullets got the all-important goal through Patrick Mwaungulu to open a three-point gap at the summit of the table ahead of their last match opponents second-placed Silver Strikers at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre on Sunday.
The win saw Bullets extend the lead to 59 points from 29 matches while Silver have 56 points from the same number of matches.
The Central Bankers can overtake Bullets should they win by an 8-0 margin on Sunday.
Bullets are currently the highest scoring team in the elite league with a goal difference of 30 while Silver have 23.
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Third-placed Mighty Mukuru Wanderers are out of the race with 55 points from 29 matches but can finish second if they beat Civil Service United on Sunday and Silver lose to Bullets.
Under scorching weather conditions of the lakeshore district, Mwaungulu made the difference through a header from Ephraim Kondowe’s cross in the seventh minute.
It was a tightly contested match with Bullets fighting for a fifth consecutive title whereas Karonga United were sweating for a top eight finish.
Bullets outplayed Karonga in the first 20 minutes of the match with Ephraim Kondowe and Hassan Kajoke keeping the hosts’ defence busy while Mwaungulu kept the supply open.
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This forced Karonga into making blunders at the back due to poor communication.
They only started coming into the match after the introduction of lanky Kenyan Tony Nyangu but Bullets remained resilient.
In a desperate attempt to maintain the score line, Bullets rested Hassan Kajoke and Lanjesi Nkhoma for Maxwell Gasten Phodo and McFarlane Mgwira who gave them a defensive edge.
Karonga tried to counter their opponents by introducing more fresh legs but they still failed to level the scores despite relentless attacks.
Towards the end, the match was stopped for about 10 minutes as some fans threw stones and other objects onto the pitch.
The match eventually resumed but the atmosphere was still volatile situation up to the final whistle, forcing some fans to remain in the stadium for their own safety.
Both Bullets and Karonga were also detained in their dressing rooms as police tried to restore calm using teargas.
Bullets coach Kalisto Pasuwa said he would wait until meeting Silver before saying anything on the title.
“I will say something on the title after our last game against Silver. But it has been a difficult season for us in terms of fixtures. We have played in many competitions and chasing games to catch up with other teams was not good at all. I think when we are playing in the Caf Champions League they should consider us in terms of the the fixture. This will be good for Malawi football,” Pasuwa said.
