Nigerian Babatunde Adepoju was a man to watch on Wednesday night at Bingu National Stadium as FCB Nyasa Big Bullets eliminated Moyale Barracks Football Club by 3 goals to 1 in an exciting semi final match.
The Bullets were quick to realise that the left hand side for Moyale Barracks where their captain Victor Mwale was defending was weaker than the right. They kept piling pressure on that side and got their first two goals.
A decent run by Babatunde Adepoju in the 21st minute past Mwale allowed him to cross the ball on the floor and Ephraim Kondowe was in the right position to meet the ball and guide it into Moyale’s net as goalkeeper Oris Nkhwazi had advanced to challenge the ball.
The second goal for the People’s Team also originated from the same flank as Stanley Biliati did the spade work before realising the ball for Babatunde Adepoju to tap in after 25 minutes.
The soldiers reduced the score margin after 53 minutes when the current top goal scorer and probable golden boot winner in the tournament, Emmanuel Allan, scored his ninth goal after receiving a brilliant pass from Luke Chima.
It was in the 71st minute when Babatunde completed his brace after dribbling past three defenders and it remained 3-1 in favour of Bullets until referee Mayamiko Kanjere blew the final whistle.
Speaking after the match, Moyale Barracks coach, Prichard Mwansa, said it was bad to concede two goals in the first half.
“It wasn’t good enough to concede two goals in the first half. We didn’t play well especially in the first half. Congratulations to Bullets. We will now focus on other tournaments,” he said.
The winning coach, Kalisto Pasuwa, said his charges played well in the first half.
“We wanted quick goals in order for us not to push much in terms of intensity. Energy went down in the second half and we had to call for the services of some players who were on the bench to raise the game and finish it off,” he said.
Pasuwa further complained of a congested fixture for his side.
Said Pasuwa:“I have been complaining of injuries in my team. It’s not healthy to be playing in three days. We played against Red Arrows on Sunday, tonight we played Moyale and we are playing Red Arrows on Saturday again. We are representing the country and these things need to be considered.”
Bullets will face Blue Eagles in the finals. Eagles eliminated Karonga United in the semi finals.
