FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Clinch FDH Bank Cup Title with Convincing Victory Over Mafco FC
Despite Mafco's efforts to regroup in the second half and search for an equalizer, their attempts were thwarted, with two clear chances striking the crossbar.
Lilongwe, Malawi— FCB Nyasa Big Bullets successfully defended their FDH Bank Cup title with a convincing victory over Mafco Football Club in a closely contested final held at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on Sunday, writes Happy Valirani.
Two early goals from Lanjesi Nkhoma, in the 3rd and 12th minutes respectively, provided Bullets with a significant advantage and allowed them to dominate ball possession throughout the first half.
Despite Mafco's efforts to regroup in the second half and search for an equalizer, their attempts were thwarted, with two clear chances striking the crossbar.
Ephraim Kondowe sealed the victory for FCB Nyasa Big Bullets on 52 minutes with a powerful shot from a Patrick Mwawungulu cross, extending their lead to 3-0.
This triumph marks a historic moment for Bullets as they become the first team to successfully defend the FDH Bank Cup title since its launch in 2021.
The team previously clinched the championship in 2022 by defeating their reserve team.
Under the theme "Pachema," this year's FDH Bank Cup rewarded the champions, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets, with a prize of K30 million, while the runners-up, Mafco FC, received K8 million.
Calisto Pasuwa, coach of FCB Nyasa Big Bullets, expressed his satisfaction with the victory: "I have to congratulate the boys that we have won the cup. A game that we were playing today, remember we have been talking of tiredness in our boys, but we tried our best and we managed to get two quick goals in the first 12 minutes of the game. Those two goals allowed us to settle down, and scoring the third in the second half sealed the game. We are now looking forward to other games coming ahead; we are playing on Wednesday and Saturday," said Pasuwa.
On the opposing side, Prichard Mwansa, coach for Mafco, accepted the defeat and acknowledged that his team did not perform well throughout the entire 90 minutes.
He pointed out the quick goals conceded in the first half as a turning point: "We have lost the final, we have to accept that. We didn't play well. We tried to come back into the game, but we lost our shape in the second half, which is why we conceded the third goal just six minutes after the break. As Mafco, we will go back to our drawing board and see the way forward," said Mwansa.
FDH Bank, the sponsors of the tournament, expressed their satisfaction with this year's competition, highlighting the increased competitiveness among the teams.
Noel Nkulichi, Managing Director of FDH Bank, commended the organization of the tournament and emphasized the bank's commitment to developing sports in the country.
"We are very satisfied with the way the tournament has been organized. I must say that from the beginning up to the end, we haven't heard of any violence. Our aim as a bank is to develop sports so that sports in the country can improve," said Nkulichi.