Up next for Nyasa Big Bullets 5-time CAF Champions League title winners TP Mazembe
After securing a hard fought first preliminary round by beating Dragon FC of Equatorial Guinea 3-0 (2-0 away and 1-0 at home) on Sunday at Bingu National Stadium, Nyasa Big Bullets are now up against Tout Puissant (TP) Mazembe — the most successful club of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with five CAF Champions League titles under their belt.
They first won it back-to-back in 1967 and 1968 when it was called African Champions Cup before it was renamed CAF Champions League by winning back-to-back again in 2009, 2010 and lastly clinching it in 2015.
The club made 7 appearances in the African Champions Cup from 1967 to 1988 and 18 appearances in the CAF Champions League from 2001 till now, having appeared in every edition since 2007.
The team would be finalists four times successively in (1967, 1968, 1969 and 1970) and was the first team to successfully defend the African Champions Cup — a feat that was repeated in 2003 and 2004 by Enyimba of Nigeria.
With 27 titles at national level and 11 at international level since 1966, TP Mazembe are currently the most successful club of the DRC with 38 titles.
When they won the title in 2009 against Heartland (2–2 on aggregate, winning on the away goals rule), TP Mazembe qualified for the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup and in their first match in the quarter-finals they lost 2-1 to Pohang Steelers of South Korea, despite taking the lead in the first half.
Following a 3-3 defeat to Auckland City in the fifth placed match they finished the tournament in 6th place and when they retained the African title in 2010, they became the first African side to reach the FIFA Club World Cup final after defeating Pachuca of Mexico 1–0 in the quarter-finals and 2-0 against Internacional of Brazil in the semi-finals — eventually defeated 0-3 in the final by Internazionale (Inter Milan of Italy).
In 2015, TP Mazembe secured their fifth title in the competition after defeating USM Alger of Algeria 4–1 aggregate.
When asked in post-match interviews, coach Karisto Pasuwa said they would plan against the top African side accordingly as he would be without defender, Yamikani Fodya, who was red carded following a foul on Ludovid Esono Abaga Abeso in the 76th.
Scorer of the brace at Estadio de Malabo in Equatorial Guinea, Maxwell Phodo missed an early golden chance when his header in 15th minute went over the ball after Gomezgani Chirwa’s cross found him unmarked
Anthony Mfune’s shot was saved by goalkeeper Gustave Guirlele in 33rd before Yamikani Fodya’s well taken free kick also forced the best out of Guirlele for corner
Dragon FC came back improved in the second half, forcing the Bullets to defend and also coach Pasuwa to make changes when he replaced Mfune and Phodo for Ephraim Kondowe and Patrick Mwaungulu in 63rd — which made a difference as Kondowe scored with just four minutes on the field.
Big Bullets now have to concentrate on their defence of 2023 TNM Super League and reclaim their top spot, which has been taken over by Mighty Wanderers after the Nomads beat Mafco 1-0 at Kamuzu Stadium on Sunday through a goal by Gaddi Chirwa in the 53rd.
The Nomads tie on 36 points with the season’s team of the moment, Chitipa United, who beat who beat Ekwendeni Hammers 1-0 on Saturday at Karonga Stadium — they home venue where they have won nine matches and drew 0-0 with Nomads last week.
The defending champions date 9th-placed Civil Service United on Wednesday at Kamuzu Stadium.
Meanwhile, the following are all results of the CAF Champions League first preliminary round matches (first leg results in parentheses):
- Big Bullets 1-0 Dragón FC (2-0)
- Orlando Pirates 3-0 Djabal FC (1-0)
- Power Dynamo 1-0 African Stars (1-2)
- Young Africans 5-1 AS Ali Sabieh (2-0)
- Enyimba 0-0 Al Ahli Benghazi (3-4)
- St. George 3-1 KMKM (2-1)
- Étoile du Sahel 1-0 CS Constantine (2-0)
- Gaadiidka FC 2-0 APR (1-1)
- Bumamuru 5-1 Bendje (1-1)
- Al Merreikh 0-0 Otôho (1-1)
- Green Mamba 1-1 CUD Songo (0-1)
- Vipers SC 2-1 Jwaneng Galaxy (0-2)
- AS Far 7-0 ASKO (1-0)
- Coton Sport 0-2 Real Bamako (0-0)
- Vita Club 1-1 Primeiro do Agosto (1-2)
- Remo Stars 1-0 Medeama (0-1)
- Al Ahli Tripoli 1-0 Nouadhibou (1-1)
- LISCR 0-1 Bo Rangers (1-1)
- ASEC 2-0 Coton FC (0-0)
