It is official, there was no Silver lining for the blank misfiring Bullets at the historic football mecca, Kamuzu Stadium downtown the commercial city of Blantyre at the weekend.
The teacher was taught a lesson by his own student in an unprecedented circumstances making it one of the most exciting upsets in Malawi’s football.
This, however, did not go down well with the Bullets supporters and they went on rampage throwing stones and causing havoc thereby creating ugly scenes.
And, as they say, nothing is certain in life apart from death and tax and rightly so, it never was certain who was to win the match between Lilongwe soccer giants, Silver Strikers and Blantyre football stalwarts FCB Nyasa Bullets until the dying one and half hour mark.
FCB Nyasa Big Bullets coach, Kalisto Pasuwa could not believe his eyes when his student, Peter Mponda thumped on his head to grab three points following Silver Striker’s 1-0 victory at Kamuzu Stadium in a thrilling TNM Super League encounter on Sunday.
After managing to amass maximum points in their 2-0 win against Mighty Mukuru Wanderers some two weeks ago, the Bankers’ substitute, Chinsinsi Maonga made no mistake, but converted home just barely a minute after his introduction into the game.
The hosts, FCB Nyasa Bullets managed to control the most part of the game until the master thought he had contained the student, his former assistant.
However, Maonga had different ideas when he could not be stopped by two Bullets defenders in a counter attack mode that led to his beautiful strike going past the Bullets goal-stopper, Innocent Nyasulu in the 90th minute of the match.
Mponda has been lethal since he joined the Bankers this season replacing Pieter De Jong.
In an interview the former Bullets and Malawi national team skipper Peter Mjojo.Mponda said: “I am thrilled we won the match and bagged the three points home.
“It was a tough game but the boys stuck to the game plan and they gave their all and we managed to carry the day home,” said Mponda.
The Lilongwe-based side is undefeated in the nine games played, winning eight and one draw with 25 points and sitting at the summit of the log table.
Irked with the result, some alleged Bullets supporters resorted to hooliganism as they threw objects into the pitch, forcing referee Gift Chiko to end the match as the police dispensed teargas to quell the situation.
The irate fans deflated Bullets’ bus and also stoned Silver Strikers bus.
Bullets stand at position five with 14 points in the league, having won three, drawn five times, and lost once from the nine games played.
This is a disappointing start for the ‘people’s team’ having managed to win all the competitions in the country last season.
A dejected Bullets gaffer Kallisto Pasuwa said: “Football can be cruel and unpredictable sometime. We played well but it wasn’t our day.”
“I’m thrilled we won the match.”
Peter Mponda
Silver Strikers Head Coach
