* They started on the front foot — they outshone us in nearly every department and carved out several clear chances
* We were lucky to head into halftime just 1-0 down. We could have easily conceded more before the break
Maravi Express
Nyasa Big Bullets head coach, Peter Mponda contends that his players fell below expectations and did not do enough to secure a positive result in the Blantyre Derby they lost 0-1 to arch rivals Mighty Wanderers at Kamuzu Stadium yesterday.
Advertisement
This was Bullets first loss in the TNM Super League 2025 and despite such a promising start in the title fight race, they struggled to find the rhythm especially after conceding in the 12th minute when Blessings Mwalilino struck.
“Wanderers fully deserved the win — they started on the front foot,” said Mponda in post match interview. “They outshone us in nearly every department and carved out several clear chances.
“We were lucky to head into halftime just 1-0 down. We could have easily conceded more before the break.
“In the second half, we attempted to shift our approach and managed to create some opportunities, but overall, we just weren’t in the game. Defeat was fair — we simply didn’t show the level of quality needed to get as a result.
Asked whether the result echoed his sentiments from Thursday’s pre-match press conference — where he described Wanderers as title favorites due to their squad retention — Mponda said: “The way they played the first 45 minutes, they were good.
“Even though they were less convincing after the break, their first half display proved they deserved to win this game.
Advertisement
“We anticipated moments like these — we knew setbacks were possible, and today, we’ve experienced one. We need to go back and see how we missed our game plan — we didn’t play the way we usually do,” said Mponda.
Wanderers cut Bullets’ five-point lead to the second-placed Nomads ahead of the game to two — at 18 points for the People’s Team and 16 for the Lali Lubani Road club.
The match paid tribute to former Wanderers technical director, late Yasin Osman
Wanderers’ triumph marked their first league win over the Bullets since September 2021 when Vincent Nyangulu’s early goal delivered another 1-0 win — and in head-to-head of 11 matches played in all competitions from 2019 to 2024, Bullets have won 2 games whilst Wanderers have now won 2 match.
On the other hand Bullets have now lost 2 games and the rivals lost 2 matches, and having 7 match draws.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, Wanderers head coach, Bob Mpinganjira heaped praise on his charges for producing a stellar performance: “I am very happy that we have won today and I should salute our boys for applying what we agreed in training.
“We told them to be the first on the ball and it’s exactly what they did,” said the Nomads’ gaffer, who added that what is key from now is to maintain consistency as there is still a long journey in the league.
“We shouldn’t be over excited with the result as there is still a long way to go. We have to work on being consistent with our performance. We will go back and work on areas that we didn’t do well including on waisting scoring opportunities.”—Content by Bullets & Wanderers Media; edited by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express
