By McLloyd Kudzingo
FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Nigerian striker Babatunde Adepoju scored a brace as well as an assist as his side beat Moyale Barracks 3-1 in an entertaining FDH Cup semi-final match played at Bingu National Stadium on Wednesday evening.
The match which was the first ever local competition to be played under floodlights ,started 35 minutes late as the hosts, Moyale Barracks arrived late after their bus developed a fault on their way to the stadium.
The People’s team were the first to settle into the game, no wonder they took a 2-nil lead before the half-hour mark.
Ephraim Kondowe scored the first goal for Bullets with a simple tap-in in the 21st minute after receiving a cross from Babatunde Adepoju.
Adepoju then doubled the lead for the People’s team five minutes later with a beautiful finish after he was found unmarked in the penalty box by Stanley Billiati.
Moyale tried their best to pull one back towards the end of the first half but Bullets defence led by Nickson Nyasulu made it possible to deny the soldiers a goal.
In the second half, Moyale continued from where they stopped in the first half and they were rewarded just seven minutes in the second half, as Emmanuel Allan scored his ninth goal in the Cup after connecting with a header a cross from Lovemore Jere.
Babatunde Adepoju completed his brace in the 71st minute after beating Moyale’s defender Maneno Nyoni and his goalkeeper Olyce Nkhwazi to ensure a third FDH Cup final for the Ndirande outfit.
The Kallisto Pasuwa men will now face Blue Eagles who reached the finals after beating Karonga United 2-nil at Civo Stadium on Saturday.
Bullets are the only team to have won the FDH Cup twice having won it in 2022 and 2023 whereas Silver Strikers won the inaugural edition in 2021.
The winner of this year’s competition will receive K35 million while the runner-up will gate half of that amount.
