Karonga, June 4 Mana: Chitipa United Football Club made history on Saturday following their 1-0 TNM Super League victory against the defending champions,FCB Nyasa Big Bullets in a match which was played at Karonga Stadium.
This is the first time for Chitipa to beat Bullets in TNM Super League and the first defeat of the season for the defending champions who are leading on the log table with 17 points from eight games.
Chitipa who are fresh from another huge 1-0 victory against Bullets’s archrival Mukuru Mighty Wanderers, went into the game with the odds against them as they had never beaten Bullets in the previous six super league encounters before Saturday’s win.
Chitipa only managed to salvage a point from a 2-2 draw with Bullets in the 2019 season.
On top of that Chitipa United have only two players with super league experience as the rest are from the lower league.
The lone goal of the match came in the 53rd minute from Rajab Nyirenda’s high free kick near the corner kick spot, which Bullets’ goalie, Richard Chimbamba failed to clear. To some extent, it looked like an own goal through the Bullets defender's header.
The goal was enough to disorient the defending champions completely who never recovered.
Played in front of a full-to-capacity stadium under fine weather, from the on set it was hard to tell who the defending champions were, save for the uniform colours and the faces. Chitipa United FC dominated making more goal attempts than Bullets. The first half ended in a 0-0 draw.
In the second half, the defending champions started with playing quick football but the tactic got resistance from Chitipa United FC defense. Led by Chris Lwemba who was named man of the match for the third time in a row, the trio including Blessings Joseph and Peter Mughogho proved impossible to penetrate.
Bullets tried in extra time to push for a draw with Macfarene Ngwira, who was introduced in the second half replacing Patrick Mwaungulu, making dangerous passes and crosses up front but his effort was not good enough to register anything on the score sheet. Under pressure, Chitipa United FC goalie, George Chikooka and Stain Patrick were served with yellow cards in the dying minutes of the game for displaying perceptible delaying tactics and rough play respectively.
Coach for Bullets, Callisto Pasuwa admitted that Chitipa United’s zeal was no match for his team.
“We could see the zeal from our counterparts trying as much as they could to get to the ball. Our opponents planned well and did well in terms of approach. We will go back and re-assess ourselves,” Pasuwa said.
However, he said all is not lost as the team have 21 more games ahead of them. Chitipa United Coach, Mac Donald Ntetemera on the other hand said all he is doing is to instill the spirit of hard work in his charges adding that each fixture has its game plan. “I am a teacher and not a coach. I am teaching the players to play modern football as you can see. Expect more surprises. I can't say what my target is for now,” said Ntetemera. Karonga Stadium is today hosting another thriller as Karonga United FC takes on Mighty Mukuru Wanderers Chitipa are now on position four on the log table with four points behind Bullets which is leading on the table.
Mana/tk/gpb/scm
