Chipolopolo hold Egypt: A day surprise selections succeeded
- Monday, March 30, 2009, 13:46
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Zambia spared the blushes of Coach Herve Renard with his surprise starting choices to come away with a priceless draw away to the fancied reigning Africa kings Pharaohs of Egypt to kick start a dream journey for that elusive World Cup appearance in neighboring South Africa in 2010.
The French born mentor rung a shock when he named Supersport United cast away Noah Chivuta, the inexperienced Emmmanel Mbola from Armenia, recalled Misheck Lungu from the wilderness and reuniting the central partnership of Nyambe Mulenga and Dennis Banda from the under 20 class of 2007 that shone in the Canada Youth World Cup much to the chagrin of many Chipolopolo die hards.
Many a Chipolopolo faithful feared the worst considering that the Egyptians boosted of the dangerous Amr Zaki, the enigmatic ‘Mido’, veteran Hossam El Hadry, the enterprising Aboutrika, the tricky Mohamed Shawky and other big bwanas buoyed by a boisterous Cairo Stadium that was filled to the rafters.
But alas the jitters were allayed by a confident never say die approach by the Chipolopolo lads. Zambia made a sumptuous showing that surprised every pundit that might have written them off on paper when the line up was made public as the Egyptians were made to look as though they were playing at a neutral venue rather than their impenetrable fortress.
Mbola for one struggled early on with some erratic loose marking but impressed later on and Renard must feel justified by his faith in the teenage 16 year old left back who looked good to the eye when going forward particularly in the second period when his confidence grew by leaps and bounds.
The suspect defence that allowed Zaki an easy goal recovered well and held firm to hold out for a famous draw that world pundits have summed up as a surprise and their Zambian counter parts purring with satisfaction.
It was interesting to note the remarkable contribution of late inclusion goal scorer Francis Kasonde who Renard had had overlooked initially despite his CHAN heroics and I had argued strongly the case for the inclusion of the calm but tough defender cum midfielder and i feel very vindicated by the Power Dynamos man who put in a shift that made Egypt look very ordinary in the midfield where they are usually very exquisite in spreading the ball to the wings even to the point where the inclusion of the feared Aboutrika later on to the Pharaoh fold could not supplant the 5 man Zambia midfield anchored by ‘Mr. Reliable’ let alone boss things in the middle of the pack.
I have been a harsh critic of some of Renard’s decisions but this time he has gotten me and other critics napping and I can only hope he shows more consistency otherwise he deserves the praise for how his team held out for a draw in Cairo.
The road ahead looks clear now but let us get some consistency on player selections and granted Renard showed self-correction by later bringing on Joseph Musonda and Chintu Kampamba who in my opinion should have started the game and as such we shall give him the leverage to do what he thinks best as long as we do what we did to the Egyptians. Rwanda and Algeria with the right approach are winnable matches even away.
This is not a day to dwell on the misgiving of surprise selections because they succeeded where we have previously failed; to get a point in North Africa and that against Egypt the Africa champions lets not forget, feels like a victory to be honest and boy, we scared the hell out of Egypt to silence their partisan crowd and shock the doubting Thomases!
Below is how the gallant Chipolopolo rated:
1. Kennedy Mweene-8-The Free State Stars stopper has come of age with an imperious showing of fine agility to deny the Egyptians on many occasions. Could not be faulted for the goal although was out of position and appealed for offside against Zaki. Recovered well to finger tip a Zaki scorcher in the second half. Excellent performance.
2. Mishek Lungu-6-Coming to the Zambia after a long time, Lungu did not do too badly in an unfamiliar right back role. Never communicated well with Nyambe Mulenga for the Egyptians’ goal which came from his position. Could have called out to Nyambe given his experience.
3. Emmanuel Mbola-6.5-Had an expected shaky start. Was guilty of some loose marking early on but recovered well with a performance when going forward that belied this Roberto Carlos like marauding teenage defender’s limited big time football experience. Showed bags of confidence that will stand him in good stead in the future. It was easy to see why a 15 year old that has never played in the Zambia top flight has been signed by the Armenian champions.
4. Dennis Banda-7.5- Unbelievably composed defending from the Green Buffaloes’ defence kingpin that kept the Egyptians at bay. His aerial ability once again shone through in spite of his medium stature .His partnership with Nyambe must be given enough games to mature but certainly showed telepathic understanding which can be likened to that of Vidic and Ferdinand at Manchester United. It was his headed assist that brought Zambia level.
5. Nyambe Mulenga-7- Formed a defensive partnership with Banda that had Zambia pundits hearts in the mouth when the line up was announced but played well enough to silence the doubters that included me. Was guilty of playing on Zaki for the Pharaohs’ goal after a lapse in communication with Lungu. The goal was a gift because if Nyambe had pushed out quickly then the Wigan striker would have been offside.
6. Francis Kasonde-8.5- A virtuoso man of the match performance by Mr. Reliable. Capped his holding role function with a magnificent headed goal. Kasonde moved forward when needed and defended with grit as his role implied. He epitomized some tactical discipline that has eluded the team in the middle of the park for some time.
7. Chris Katongo-6.5-The Zambia skipper often struggles to stamp his mark from the right side of midfielder where he was deployed. At his Bundesliga side, Armenia Bielefeld, that was his story until played in the hole. Worked hard enough but not one of his best performances. The success of his role was stifling the Egyptians in the midfield. To be fair it is duties he acquainted himself very well.
8. Rainford Kalaba-7- played well enough although he was guilty for some stray passes. Kalaba showed he can stand against the best but for losing possession easily at times.
9. Jacob Mulenga-6.5-The Chateauroux vice skipper led the line as a lone warrior with admirable ease. He occupied the Egyptians centre back such that they could not push out. This was significant as the Egyptians could not often start from the back comfortably. Missed a glorious sitter in the first half when he should have really hit the back of the net. But excellent tactical display.
10. Felix Katongo-7- Another who worked very hard in the midfield but was not really at his best probably showing his lack of game time at his French League 2 side where he is on loan from Stade de Rennais. Felix performance was fine but below his usual self. Covered very well for Mbola in the early periods when the teenager was having a torrid time.
11. Noah Chivuta-6.5-another of the midfielders in the 5 man midfield. Noah’s performance was so-so. Never really hit the top mark but worked hard enough. I thought should have been substituted but the Renard thought he did well enough in the engine room. Tactically was OK but was slow in closing down the Egyptians and they did occasionally find room as a result. I think Renard played Noah for his defensive awareness and should have upped the ante in closing down the Pharaohs.
12. Joseph Musonda-6-came on for Mishek Lungu. Would have conceded Zambia a penalty had the Malian referee not waved away the vehement Egyptian appeals. Must up his game.
13. Chintu Kampamba-6.5-showed his experience by steadying the ship at the back with assured clearances from the defence.
14. Fwayo Tembo-6.5-caused the Pharaohs a lot of problems when he came on very, very late in the match. One shuddered to imagine what his impact could have been had he come on earlier. Did his future selection in the team no harm.
15. Coach Renard-7.5-started off badly by excluding Isaac Chansa for unknown reasons from the squad. The Chipolopolo faithful need to know the rationale behind the Gatusso’s omission. Surprisingly left out Kasonde out but started him after including him late in the squad as a replacement for the malaria stricken Hichani Himoonde. Played Kasonde in the holding role. So why was he not in the squad in the first place. He needs to be sure of his players Renard.
Coming to the game itself he did not inspire confidence with some surprise selections in the starting eleven but was vindicated with some disciplined performances at times by his charges. The Frenchman self controlled with some well timed substitutions.
Credit to Renard for some very good tactical approach to come away with a result in North Arica traditionally not a good hunting ground for Zambia. Here was evidence that he certainly knew what he was doing. His approach was spot on in the 4-5-1 appraoch and the Chipolopolo boys religiuosly stuck to it like a stamp to a letter.
Plaudits also for the fact that Zambia are not overawed when they go down in his era. He is able to rally the boys to rise from the dead. Well done Monsier.
Overall, the result in Egypt was deserved and the Chipolopolo need to be commended for the priceless, priceless away point.
A reward for a committed display from a team that included a batch of what some people may have seen as misfits in the starting line -up.
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Zamfoot has written 1909 stories on this site.
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Ba Muzo, this is a very good analysis you have made. I also thing Zambia were a better side especially in the second half. We could have even pulled a second goal.
On another note, I hear the Chipolopolo have found a new sponsor. Zamfoot or any of y’all bloggers with details please confirm. I also hear Chipungu (govt) is working towards increasing the allowances for the Chipolopolo. I think RB pumped some sense in Chipungu. He was even there to welcome the players on arrival at the airport.
Way to go Zambia. Whose next… Rwanda ku Chililabombwe pa June 6. SA2010 here we come!!!
testing
We are back in biznes aren’t we? well come everyone.
that was a good display by the boys.i liked the compsure by the boys.we had new defenders in high profile game and they handled it so well.am hoping that the same team can be maintained and govt should come and in and support the boys at all costs.my man of the match was felix katongo.
Thank God we are back i was itching to comment mailo, so where art thou you false prophets, we shocked you te? 4-0 na ba nani, Cairo this Cairo that, Iye Chipolopolo mu kose ba kamushi. Way to go to the lads that was a sweet result what a shock indeed.
gents we should help felix katongo,the boy is so talented.i wonder y they keeping him on the bench.i hope his club coach watched the game
faz clinched a k3.3bn 2yr deal with zambian breweries. its in 2 days post sports news.
that sounds very good.
Sceptic, FBM and the rest propherts of dome, where are you. HR has brough self belief to the team, which is good. It is not only the players but also the supporters who don’t have self belief. A lot of bloggers called HR, a PE Teachers, I am one of the few wh said give the man a chance. Unlike Zambian coaches, HR has:
1. Play players who are in form-left out Mbesuma, Sinkala, Sichone, Tana, Chansa. A Zambian coach was going to play names.
2. HR, knows about playing away and home, he used this in Cairo and it worked.
3. HR takes risks-To be honest when I saw Mbola, Banda in the line up, I thought the guy is crazy but it worked.
4. He is good with subsitutions-he brought in Fwayo to keep them busy and Musonda and Chintu to consolidate our defending. I am not saying HR is perfect but he is proving to be a good coach. We have not qualified yet, its a long way to go. I hope FAZ maintains, the same serious preps. Besides our next games are in June, SA and European leagues will be in recess, so HR will have all the players, he wants.
HR should maintain same Morinho formation and altitude in away gameS, Defend and attack as a team.Thats wat local coaches fail to do,to motivate and transform young players into big match performers.I can assure everyone that Kasonde, Nyambe Mulenga and the rest of young stars are new african stars ,all what is needed are professional deals in Europe.
I can now officially confirm that I am addicted to this site. I was beginning to experience wthdrawal symptoms.
This was a great result for the guys, I bet even FIFA were surprised at this result considering they had predicted it to be a high score result obviously in favour of Egpyt. I think we have got the right rhythm going, the guys are hungry and this result will instil the heart that it is possible to make the 2 hour flight in 2010. I’ve ever been a big fan of HR but with results like this he will win me over very soon.
CONGRATS to the guys and thanx for doing our nation proud.
Is the 3.2 billion sponsorship for the National Team or league ? If its for the National team ,well and good ,this will help the team’s preparations.
This the best start ever by a Zambian National Soccer team. All we need to do now is to work hard and win the remaining 5 games, which is actually very possible
Luapula its for the national team
Good we are back in business. Bravo Zamfoot! As for the chipolopolo boys, mwalibachimfya ba Egypt, its would have been better to beat them at home. Anyhow, Rwanda comes June 6, so lets not disappoint, we need the 3 points BADLY to get on that 2hour flight in June 2010. Well done once more, we are really proud. We were so jittery that some of us celebrated the draw like a win, that is just how much it means to love your country so much…
Congrates indeed to our lads for the job very well done.I would have said more but for the Financial year end issues I need to clear.
I don’t see Egpty wining in Algeria, i hope they draw and we beat Rwanda and then beat Algeria. But the games will be tough. The team must camp in SA again. HR say the concentrate more because at home-family, friends etc.
Sparks thanx. This is a further moivation for our boys.Most likely the training kit will carrying CASTLE Lager or Mosi just like South Africa.
We should now all be convinced that we must let the coach be the coach.
The aim of this series to qualilfy to the world cup and only to draw in Egypt,whilest we did well in getting a point but we dropped 2 points.Lets now focus on the months of june where we are expected to collect six points.The group is now more open as this is enough motivation to Rwanda,who can top the group by beating Zambia in June.Lets consolidate the team,we had some silly errors which on a bad day can cost us a game.
Why not
Spaks are you not surprised how some people can change
Some people, who dont really understand soccer(Lusaka Time blog) were saying Jacob is useless, people really don’t understand soccer. He is not a prolific scorer yes, but a good player. On Sunday, he kept the Egpytian defence so busy that they could not even move forward. Given the formation, we played, players like Mayuka, Singuluma were going to be subdued and out musled by the Egpyians defence. I feel sorry for Tana, Chansa, Mbesuma, Clifford because know they have to work hard to gain places in the team. Playing names is not good. As for Sinkala, Sichone, we don’t need them.
Justice Kafusha : do mean av said something against HR or Kalu.No I think its a wrong quoting. I have proudly supported Chipolpolo the time I was 9. We also travelled in the rough journey together and have been reading alot of soccer magazines like African Soccer , Fifa ,Kick and before there also Complete soccer and Soccer News. I was I also one of the people who denounced Simata Simata for chasing Poulsen and frustrating the efforts of soccer organisation in the country. If you visited my face book you can see how dedicated I am to Zambian football in general.Further I also urged the people who insulted Klu and HR not to be hypocritical after this famous victory .Once again,Once a pirate always a pirate.
i agree with with kaira,jacob was there to keep the egyptian defence busy and he did it so well.the guys was just good on the offensive and bloggers shud understand that jacob was a lone striker and upfront.keep it up zambia.
Its really exciting to note that the Zambian Player have stopped being scared of players with big names like Zaki, Hossam El Hadry,Aboutrika, only to name a few from the Egyptian Team. Now it makes me proud to note that:- We dont play names instead names play us. Thanx to Herve Renard. Thanks for making us proud guys. Cairo is a long way.
CAUTION!!!!
Gentlemen i know its too early but i would rather advice those that have money to book World Cup tickets before the sold out. The first lot closes today. The second lot for applications will be from 4 May to November 16th.Just apply you don’t need to pay now. I have a strong feeling we will be seeing the Copper Bullets come 2010.
South African residents are allowed to apply/buy selected cheaper tickets. South African residents are can also buy a maximum of 5 tickets if iam not wrong. Please don’t wait for the team to qualify by time the qualify the tickest will be sold out.
Here is a line from the Post of 31/03/09…
“Zambian Breweries Plc has unveiled a two-year K3,327,000,015 billion (US $600,000) package deal with FAZ to sponsor Chipolopolo”
Now thats what I’m talking about! The signing of the deal shall be on Friday at the Southern Sun Hotel (former Holiday Inn).
Way to go ZB!!!
Im so proud to be Zedian.
Ba Justice, ofcourse im shocked, but then again we had predicted that there would be ba muselela kwa kaba, and people should not be mistaken we are not saying that we are there but rather a step in the right direction, like i said before the match win or lose i will forever be Zambian that draw made me even the more proud.
Sorry Laupula, this has nothing to do with you
Peace my Bro ,but I was also castigating the bloggers on LT yesterday.They insulted Kalu and HR.People should not treat soccer administrators and coaches like politicians
C’mon man whats this attitude of always bringing our brothers down, always looking for a opportunity to look down on fellow Zedians, this is the attitude that kills us Zedians, just because HR has done well in the last couple of months you use that to start dissing Zedian coaches c’mon, please drop this PHD attitude.
This deal has come at the expense of the Mosi cup. I’m not sure and really cant say which direction the money takes would be more beneficial to football development in the country, whether to have the mosi cup or sponsor the national team but way to go ZB, either way you are standing tall amoungst the rest of coporate Zambia that keeps its money for director performance bonuses. You are actually giving back. Thanx
Amen Big Steve, you know the example i always give people here at home, bring in an indian and 6 months later he lives in a big house and drives a big car while we complain the reason being we are always finger pointing and witch hunting while they work with each other and help each other, its the same with most of our brother outside the country they would rather befriend other people than their fellow country men, im proud of those of you who contribute positively and criticize fairly even when you are away, keep it up.
The fact is that things look very bright for us. All need to do is organise friendlies and bring in players that can improve the team. Remember we have to improve all the time. I am sure even European teams will now want to play us
I hope our clubs (Zesco and Arrows) will perform well this weekend
Coming to the game i watched a bit of the second half Sunday night. Any body back in Zed who recorded the game on Dvd please let me know. I watched hi-lights of Malawi being annihilated 5-0 by Ivory Coast and i said to my self Egypt had the same fire power up front like the Ivorians. This says something about the Chipolopolo boys that the have grown in confidence and stature. This was no lucky result the boys were there to compete with the Egyptians.
Coming to HR i had been his supporter all along. Even when we played below par against Swaziland home & away i said the guy was a good Coach.
I supported him not until we lost to Sudan at Cecafa. I came out saying he was not the right man to take us forward. I think i have been made to eat the humle pie like alot of guys. When a Coach has confidence in his players & he is willing to play players like N.Mulenga,D.Banda,E.Mbola in a high profile game like that he deserves to be applauded. The French man has guts. I can’t imagine what we would have said had we lost. This is the best chance we have as a nation to make it for the W.C destiny is in our hands guys lets support & pray for the boys.
Lastly thanks to Govt & Faz for camping the team in S.A .
@Big Steve from SA
Yes the deal has come with a cost (halting the prestigious Mosi Cup). I hope some other companies can take it (Mosi Cup) up from where ZB left off.
I must hasten to admit that the Mosi Cup really exposed a lot of hidden talent that the country has/had. I think ZB has made the lead and now other corporate houses must emulate them.
Big Steve, FMB, Sceptic, you are some of the guys who had been negative towards the team and the coach. I have always said I will judge HR after the 2010 qualifers. But you guys have been so critical and wrote Zambia off in Cairo. I am a realist, its a long way to go. But drawing in Cairo and finising third in IC, shows the team is on right track. Saying the truth about me or Zambian coaches, does not mean I am having PHD. PHD is when you are critical all the time even when things are ok. bloggers do you think a Zambian coach can have the guts to say no to FAZ and pick his won team? I said last week that HR must take responsibility after he dropped Tana, chansa. To be honest with you when I saw the line up with Mbola, Banda Chivuta, I thought HR had made a mistake, since we had a positive result, he was right. I have nothing against Zambian coaches, Ben Banfuchile was a good coach, he came to Namibia and qualified the team for Ghana nations cup, its a pity he got sick and dead. Wedson Nyirenda, I think will make a good coach in future. Lwandimina is also a good coach. But the truth is local coaches for the fear of losing their jobs let FAZ interfare in team selection etc etc.
What happened to the blog yesterday? I felt sick without commenting on the match yesterday. Well, what can we say. Big up to the boys. More surprises to come from the so-called big teams. Who new that Gabon can humble Morroco at home, Togo beating Cameroun and our Chipolopolo drwaing the dreaded Pharaohs. Wow, its an unbelievable. But consistency will see us to a maiden appearance at WC.
Ba Chamwe,
Like i always say, no one is indispensable and i hope we will hear the end of Sichones, Sinkalas, Gatussos etc being termed as must haves but only if they fit in HR’s strategy. Look at Capello and what he’s doing for England and we had Frank Lampard admitting that he picks players that he feels can do the job for him and the country at every moment.
I know us madalas (Justice,Jaggari and I) have always spoken about the great talent we had before, but may i be quick to point out that even these golden oldies never came out with anything other than bruises from Cairo and it is a result well achieved.
I take a different stance on Corporates only reacting when the President (not RB as a person which is immaterial to me) makes appeals as this are not genuine gestures and are not sustainable in nature (we all know what happened to Hope Foundation and MMCI and where they are today and whether they can make that Corporate appeal now). They should do so as part of the CSR or marketing stunt only. All the same we appreciate the help. As for Zambian Breweries, thank you very much as i know yours was always on the cards and had nothing to do with the presidential appeal.
Elo Ba Zambia naimwe, let’s do the mathematics now (at least get a draw in Algeria again, beat Rwanda home and away and then we could afford to get less than 6 points but not below 4 points from the Arabs at home, hoping the Arabs beat each other) and not towards the end as has been the trend all along.
Viva Chipungu(mulekeni please!!!!), FAZ, ZAMFOOT etc
@chamwe kaira You are spot on with your comments. Jacob doesnt score much and to the untrained eye it looks like he is not doing anything. However if you understand football then you will see what dynamism, movement and strength he adds. Perfect for the lone striker, the next Didier Drogba. As for Sinkala and Sichone, I hope it is the last time people cry for them, it just unsettles the lads. Way to go HR, I like your style. You are exactly what Zambian Football needed – A BREATH OF FRESH AIR. Not scared to take risks, not scared to drop crowd favourites, not scared to change your mind and field Kasonde, not scared to make subs, not scared to tell FAZ the truth, not scared to stand up to EGYPT. Ba Muzo, I think you were hard on HR and he deserves 8.5. For me the fact that he started Kasonde was not a weakness in him as you suggest, it shows that he has balls. He is man enough to swallow his pride and do whats best for the nation rather than save face. Pat on the back HR. Guys, I hate the way Arab footballers behave, look at what they did to Rainford and co. FIFA must look into that.
Guys, its a long way to go. We are not in SA yet. I hope the boys put their foot down and take every game seriously. FAZ must also be serious with adminstration. In 1994, we did not make it because of plane crash and Diramba. After 1996 our football has been on a decline because of factors well known to us. Now we have a good crop of players,a good coach and I hope adminstration will be good. I think they must continue camping in SA. Good facilities and easy connection flights out of Joburg. At this point, any of the four teams can qualify. But one thing for sure, Egpty wont have it as easy as they thought.
Great to be back.
Was a big result we got over the weekend.
Some positives have also come after this. The sponsorhip, the Government saying it will come in to help FAZ organise friendlies to prepare the tema ahead of the next qualifiers and the government saying it will increase the player allowances to encourage the team to do better in these qualifiers.
I hope we now put our house in order and build on this result.
You can qualify to the WC if you win all your home games and get 1 or 2 results away.
Why shouldnt we dream of a 1st WC berth this time around? Its a long way to go and I know in soccer the tide changes quickly, but its worth a dream.
HR should drop Musonda, he almost gave away another gift. Maybe Musonda should start playing basketball. I feel uneasy whenever he is playing, ama handball, late tackling bushe what is wrong with him. He was brought in and aikata, awe mwe
Ba Muzo you must give cridet were it is due. Noah Chivuta was the best in the midfilde. So wiether he is being sidelined by his coach at Supersport it does not make him to be a bad player he is still the best that we ve got.
And he was very outstanding for someone who has seen little game time at his club.
Congrats Chipolopolo and congrates ZB on your commitment to our national team
@Eliza
I agree with you ba Eliza. Ba Muzo stop insulting our players, they go on the pitch to win games and they all want to be selected.
Guys that are putting a dampner on our win are killing me softly. Yes, it is only the begining but that is what a qualification race needs, A GOOD START. For those of you sceptics that are saying it is only a draw, NONSENSE. It is a draw against the AFCON Champions in their backyard. That should put it in perspective. Yes, there is a long way to go but can you imagine what it does for the confidence levels. The boys will feel that they can do anything now.HR backed the young players and home based players and they have rewarded him with a point that many have failed to get in the notorious Cairo Stadium. Sweet point – enjoy it boys.
Justice, I agree with you on Musonda. Musonda, Nketeni, I remember hem for that comedy of errors-5-1 by Cameroun. With a fully fit HH, maybe, he wont be selected. Chintu should stay. Lets hope Hichani will be ok for the next game. People we must wish for a draw Algeria -Egpty and we hope to beat Rwanda. That will be good for us. 4 points. Lets hope that after that Egpty does not win in Rwanda and we beat Algeria. Anyway lets not be mathamatical, make sure we win or draw away and win all home games, although Zambia/Egpty will be tough.
I think Noah does not play because Superspot has been playing well, they won the league last year and are still topping this year. Breaking into a wining team is not easy. I must admit, I was against Felix playing but he proved me wrong. I think, I will just be a soccer fan not a coach. Let the coach do his job and I will support the team.
Eliza how do you agree with yourself
Flash back from last week. I wonder where these guys are today.
ABDUL
Actually Zambia 0, Eqypt 6. Ba Zambia ni makula. Amr Zaki, Mido, Meteb, Aboutrika, Zidan, oweeeeee
LELO LELO
You guys have short memory. Why invest so much hope in this game when you know what will happen. I agree with Abdul. We dont want insults against FAZ and the coach) on this blog on monday next week. Pharaoh ni Pharaoh bakamba. weleeeee!!!!
lol
Magic our journey is on and it looks very promising indeed. I do not recall a time we got a point in the group stages away from home. We always won all our home matches and lost all our away matches. Even Egypt are now very worried cause they now know it won’t be like they had thought. The Egyptians were so overconfident that one would think they beleived they could walk on water. We have reduced them to size.
Good point Sibs. I suppose they have changed their names. Haven’t you noticed some new names. I am sure it is them
Yes, but we should learn to support before the game is played
I am positive but I will celebrate when we qualify. I remember the heart break of the last olympics, when we had everthing in our hands but IC ended up going there. I hope this team, our preps are super and FAZ gives all the logistics. As for Pastor Makembo, no comment. The man was calling for Milanzi!!!. Thanks, HR for giving a chance to Lungu, what about the guys in finland? Give them a chance too.
Data ba justice data,LOL yaba, mu zambia you cant happy.
A draw against Egypt at their home is not a bad result. I had said a draw was highly likely and a win would have been a bonus, so i think we are on the right track. I did not expect us to lose going by the way we have been playing under Renard. We could have even beaten them had we deployed two strikers, but Renard stuck to his 4:5:1. Fwayo was on the pitch for only five minutes, but he made the Egyptians work. They saw that they could be hurt in the last minutes – imagine if he had been brought on earlier. We now have to focus on the remaining games. I beleive we can even win away against the remaining opposition. Why wasnt any card issued at the point that the Egyptians resorted to wrestling ? Refreeing is always dodgy in those parts of Africa.
Soccer is too complicated for Pastor Makembo to understand
HR’s formation was great.
WOW! the passion of the bloggers…iye. I wish our next game was this coming weekend, Zamfoot would have crushed again (lol-just joking, dont delete me Zamfoot (well done to you too). Keep up the spirit guys, we have a long way to go but the positive spirit will carry us there. As big Steve said, i think addiction is the right word, sometimes even without commenting but just reading you get the excitiment.
Kolokombwa. I don’t know maybe because, CAF has headquarters in Cairo. Egptians are always favoured at home by referees. Anyway lets not take from them that they are a good team, they won in ghana-neutral ground. And the referees are always Arab or muslim. In the last game, ref was from Mali, one assistant Arab and some guy from Angola. FAZ can use video evidence to FIFA and Egpyians players can be suspended maybe referee did not see. I saw on internet a comment by a zambian that Egptytian keeper spit at Zambian player? This too can led to punishment if Zambia submits evidence. The good thing is that HR prepared the team to take them on and also use delaying tactics like getting out of the pitch slowly, I wonder why they were upset because, that is what they do too. I can assure you that Egpty/Algria will be drama.
Monk police, HR strong point is tactics and ability to read game.
LOVL
@Justice Kafusha
Ba Justice i agree with you the back with new names huh,huh….
For all of you who had predicted that zambia would be massacared,i mean ‘abdul’,lelo lelo and the rest of your collegues,the prophets of doom,i am waiting for your commets.
These guys are really foolish especially Mido, a very hopeless guy. I do not know what or who he thinks he is.
Ba Zambia mwela weka but we must work hard to win the game that matters most right now i.e. the Rwanda game in order to keep momentum going strong.
Otherwise all the best to the lads
Ba Justice atishani mudala wesu kale sana
Justice, they are coming to Chillies. I am not saying we must give them bad treatment off the pitch. But on the pitch, we must stand up to them. I don’t think, they will be arrogant in Zambia.
Chamwe. I remember when we beat Southa Africa 1-3 at Newlands Benny McCarthy behaved the same way the Egyptins behaved. This shows how hurt those guys where to have lost two points at home. Actually the Egyptians Arab teams )are good at wasting time when thinks are going their way. As long as the referee did not say anything in his much report Fifa can’t do much.
When Etoile du Soleil beat Al Aly at Cairo stadium (2007) to win the African Champions league. The Tunisian players were spit at, water thrown at them & some fans actually hit Tunisian players. It was there for all to see live on Tv. This was happening when the players went to collect their medals in the stands. Wait when Algeria & Egypt meet in Algiers in June it will be war.
Am happy to see that the fighting spirit which we had in the Kalu days is back.What is making HR to be a good coach is his ‘never say die atitude’ but I think he still needs to understand what his players are capable of doing.I say so becaused I didn’t understand why he left out Kasonde in the initual squard and only brought him in when HH got sick when by now he (HR) is expected to know that ‘Mr Reliable’ is more reliable in the holding role than in defence.The other thing worth mentioning is HR’s ability to make players.I saw a cricket scoreline coming when I saw Nyambe,Dennis and Mbola in defence in such an high prifile match but alas the boys believed in themselves and fought up to the end.This is how stars are made and thumbs up to HR for that.Misheck Lungu to me wasn’t bad he was just played out of position because I saw him restricting hiself to defending and I didn’t see him making any runs upfront as a full back.I expected Lwandamina to advise HR that Misheck plays in the heart of defence or as an anchorman,otherwise there is still football in his legs.We played well and if we continue we might just find ourselves at the SA 2010 WC.Playing well does not mean that we should close our eyes and stop looking at ways of improving.This is why I think those who have strated saying that Sinkala and Gattuso should be forggoten are completely offside.We need depth and competition for us to atain our dream ebola bane.Go Zambia Go
One more thing. FAZ must stick to 14hrs kickoff and no tickets sales on the day of the game. Tight security. What happened in Ivory coast, it also happaned in Zambia must not be repeated.
Ba Kemps mudala ati shani . I lost your number changed phones pls send me you number. I wanted to phone you Sunday night.
The Egyptian team is Aging,they were forced to play a different game and failed to play one two which splits any defence.Chipolopolo boys were looking very sharp and energetic ,hopefuly the same team will be used in Chililabombwe.
It was a very good performance by Zambia. Everyone had written us out. theu were saying that Zambia had no chance of coming out with a point from Cairo.But we surprised all the book makers by shocking the Eygptians in their own back yard.
Dinamo, good point. As long as Gattuso and others don’t think they have automatic places in the team. I guess it depends on character of the players. If a player is being a bad influence and complains like Clifford, Mido, Benni McCathey that player must be left out. I don’t see, Sinkala, Sichone wanting to sit on the bench. Wenger and Fergie buy some many good players so that players fight for competition. According to Daily Mail or Times, HR told Gattuso that Chivuta and Kalaba, whom was competing for a place had been excellent in training and he Gattuso could not make the cut.
I had a chat with an eygptian yesterday who congratulated Zambia for the splended performance.The players were not intimidated by the 120,000 strong support which the Eygptians enjoyed.Playing in that stadium is very scary but the boys showed that they were brave and fearless.
You rightly corrected yourself.let’s not be mathematical.what is suposse to happen now is to win or the home matches and collect some points away.Infact it’s possible to win all the remaining games home and away especially looking at the way algeria and rwanda are playing currently.let’s not wait for other teams to do us a favour by winning or drawing there games.let,s quailify by winning our games.I have never been more optimistic than iam now.2010 here we come.GO ZAMBIA GO…
Hi Kemps, where have you been? It is really long ago
VIVA Zambian Brewaries! Now i can take Mosi for a reason!
Guys who’s with me on this one – Rwanda are the most tricky customers in our group and may the soul of our CAPTAIN SHOM SHOM rest in eternal peace with our departed former RED DEVIL greats!
Emmanuel Mbola, Mweene & Ba Koje’ layed an outstanding game. Am sure the big Egyptian Teams are already checking themselves.
Mmmmh! This Herve Renard truly speaking is proving to be a good tactician. More so he seem to have instilled in our players “the fight from behind” spirit as demonstrated in recent games where our boys have come from behind to draw or indeed win like was against Tanzania and Senegal respectively in Cote d’Ivoire. This spirit is what makes champions baice!! Hats off to you coach and the team!
Ba Kalampa, are you saying the boys should go and play in egpty after what happened to shom shom? I think they are better off in SA.
I think at this time we should not underate any team.What is important to win all the remaining games.They may be tricky in that we haven’t played with them more often.but they are beatable.
Ba Kaira i think you are right lowdown SA is ok, What killed Shom any way? We kitwe guys (especially nkana east) are really inquisitive u know!
Shehata grateful for fans support
By Sherif Tarek
First Published: March 30, 2009
CAIRO: Egypt tactician Hassan Shehata voiced his satisfaction with fans’ support during the Pharaohs’ 1-1 draw with Zambia in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers final phase.
The game was supposed to be a walk in the park for the African champions, but the Chipolopolo salvaged a point.
Egypt’s display was notably below-par. And Shehata summoned the courage to admit that his side failed to deliver the goods.
“I know that our fans were expecting a better result against Zambia, but they have to be patient,” he stated after the match.
“Our supporters were really magnificent, and I would like to thank them all for their faithfulness.
“We still have five games in hand. We haven’t given up hope of qualifying for the World Cup.”
Shehata’s statements were echoed by Ahmed “Mido” Hossam, who stressed on the importance the support Egypt get from the stands.
“Our fans were great today, but unfortunately we couldn’t seal a win,” said the Egypt striker, who was introduced as a second-half substitute.
On why the hosts couldn’t win the game, the towering player commented: “We are all as a team responsible for the unsatisfying result, you can’t blame it on individuals.
“Now we need to pull ourselves together fast and get ready for the Algeria trip. We would compensate for the slipped-away two points should we win the upcoming match.”
Egypt, who hasn’t reached the World Cup since 1990, will face the Desert Foxes on June 7.
Egypt assistant coach Shawki Gharib does not believe that Sunday’s draw will dent the team’s hopes of reaching the 2010 World Cup finals.
“There is a long way to go,” Gharib told the post-match press conference.
“Our draw against Zambia doesn’t mean that we will not qualify for the World Cup. Our confidence should not drop.”
All teams are now tied on one point after Algeria played out a goalless draw with Rwanda on Saturday.
“Algeria also drew so we shouldn’t be that worried. Yes we were held at home but in modern football it doesn’t matter, away and home ties are the same.”
Gharib also rued Egypt’s wasted chances throughout the match.
“We had many chances to kill off the game but we failed to make the most of them.”
“Anyway, Zambia played well and successfully closed down spaces in midfield although they did not create clear-cut chances.”
Its not underating them just scrutinising all the teams in or group. We know what the north africans are capable of and Rwanda is a Dark Horse right now.
I totally agree with You.He reminds me of one roald poulsen.the man can realy read the game.The other good thing is that he is his own man.He doesnt listen to suppoters or FAZ officials.Our own jose mourinhio
Iam with you.
Shehata or CHISHETA! The Egyptians were perplexed at the way Zed played, they did not expect that resistance thats why they even rested Abouterika and Mido!
I dig that one too!@saks swazi
Is it the same ARMED GUNMAN from LT? I will take your salutations with a pinch salt
Does it mean each and every player who goes to play for a team in egypt will end up like shom shom?Was he the first zambian to play in egypt?I know of players like malitoli kenneth who played in tunisia and came back himself.
I hope Fwayo is using Tunisia to go to France. He will be speaking the language and France is not far from Tuniasia. HR must instill this mentality in Zambian players. A lot of Nigerians start in SA, Isreal, north africa but end up in Europe. They don’t need an agent. Email the teams and send DVDs to coaches. FAZ must really try and stop this mentality of settling for less.
Ba Chamwe i will play devil’s advocate for a while. Kasonde played well yes. But as someone had mentioned earlier, we need to keep on improving the team. Is Kasonde better than Sinkala in the holding role ? I dont think so. Let him comptete for a place in the defence. The Egyptians had a slight advantage in the midfield. Rainford equally didnt play his distribution role very well, he lost the ball rather carelessly.Felix ended up trying to play that role instead of being the winger that he was supposed to be. There was a leakage at Misheck Lungu’s position, thank god it was sealed with the introduction of Musonda. As regards Isaac Chansa, i think he lost out probably due to his attitude in training. That hairstlye he came with at AFCON, I also saw a picture of him with some funky looking big shades – I think he’s gone too bling and i hope he didnt take the same attitude to camp. He sghould howver not be written off. He should be allowed to compete for a place. In fact i see him coming back.
Wow what a response! Mweene was my player of the match, Felix was wonderful to watch. Well done boys
Kolokombwa, misheck did well given the fact that he was played out of position.
Ofcourse it is. And so what? You think you are the only soccer fun? I am the one you always refer to as “mean man” on LT. And unlike you i don’t import pipo’s views from this great blog to LT. I am and have always been on this blog reading these great pipo’s views on soccer. I am on LT for other stuff like political updates. And please check back my comments and understand “chizungu” used. I am my own man. I comment as per situation. Good – good. Bad – bad.
What would have happened had Zambia won the Game, Let Me Guess!!!!!!!!!! One week national celebration holiday. Like Senegal in ‘05, Egypt will come and Give us a hiding in our own backyard.
@chamwe kaira
great contribution
Agreed, but Lwandamina should be telling Renard that this guy used to be a defender but was converted to an effective holding midfielder. Back to Rainford, the bench needs to talk to the boy about discipline. In that incidence where he raised his foot kung fu style, he would have been sent off, and its not the first time that i have seen him executing such crude tackles. These are very serious games so we cant afford to be one man down !
My brother I did not mean to disrespect you, but you said alot of but bad things about Kalu and it appears hypocritical of you to be excited about the results of a bad administrator .And most of your attacks appeared to be more personal than subject oriented.Once a pirate will always be a pirate not depending on situations.
We shall qualify for SA2010 at the expense of Egypt. Egypt if they are luck will qualify for AFCON, which they can go and win for a record 7th time if they wish. For us ni World Cup, Go boys do it for our fallen Gabon Air disaster heros. Finish the job
egypt was just outplayed.thats wat it means wen u underate a sleeping giant like zambia.but the sleeping giant is alive.our task is to collect 9 points at home.
i disagree with those saying rwanda is a strong opponent,algeria has been a diffcult team to beat esepcailly when they playing zambia.most of the games we have played have ended in draws and am sure they are preapring for us.the sercret about zambia rwanda game is not to underate them.lets take them as if we playing brazil and if it takes the boys camping in europe let them do that.
You never cease to amaze me
Ba Fish PLEASE, what has great Kalu got to do with the game on Sunday? Is he Herve Renard? Just because i was not on his side for failing to appear before the NSCZ disciplinary committee “ninshi nasunka itraini ubwamba?” If you only know the admiration i have for this man (Great Kalu), you would have kept quiet.It is only that i did not agree with his actions last time. And you are saying i sounded personal, with who? You or Great Kalu? Sober up man. Let’s not be trivial. “Fyaku LT ifyo mwayamba yama”. “Ninshi?” “Nabaposamo ububa mu Luapula river?” Let me enjoy this blog in silence and peace . If you want me to take you on i will my dear coz i enjoy it especially when provoked for no apparent reason.
Ba Dinamo you are right on Gatusso and Sinkala, but only if they fit in HR’s strategy and not where soccer fans want to make it their God given right to be featured at all cost. But bakose as their chances couldn’t be any slimmer and i would be surprised if HR went for them especially Sinkala. Mbesuma also needs to watch out as there are even younger players that also deserve call-ups-Sakuwaha, Kennedy Mudenda, Simon Bwalya, Sidney Kalume, Allan Mukuka, Judge Mkandawire-gee Zambia will never be short of talent.
I think Renard got the tactics spot on. If Renard had played two strikers, it would have opened up a lot of space for the Egyptians in the mid-field and the results would have not been in our favour. The 4-5-1 formation was OK and usually with such a formation, one needs a pacy and physical lone striker like Jacob. It allowed Chivuta to easily shift in between from a holding role & complement Kasonde & Kalaba.
Jacob’s presence in team was not so much for his scoring prowess but the physical aspect and hard work he brings to the team and this kept Goma quite busy.
I also feel maybe, we now have a coach who understands our players and slowly, he’s developing his own team.. That new guys accounted for themselves well, Mbola was ok, the central defenders were for the most part ok as well except for the goal we allowed, that’s where some experience we’ll come in handy. When Chintu came in, he stabilized things in the middle and shut down route one, goodness the Egyptians couldn’t even win the aerial balls even with bigger players like Mido…..
All in all, good performance hope now that this team will be characterized by consistency, especially with only 5 more games left…
Go Zambia Go
World Cup Debate: CAF Team Of The Match Day
Peter Pedroncelli picks out the best performers after this weekend’s action in the CAF qualifying groups for the 2010 World Cup…
This round of combined African Nations Cup and World Cup qualifying matches will go down in history for the tragedy that took place before the match between the Ivory Coast and Malawi rather than the football that was played on pitches throughout the continent, but Goal.com wants to remember those that passed away in the incident by glorifying their heroes on the pitch, for whom they were coming to the stadium in the first place.
Only those African players taking part in the ten qualifying games played this past weekend have been considered for this team. The eleven is as follows in a 4-3-1-2 formation, with four substitutes afterwards:
CAF Team Of The Match Day
Kapango
Ammar Jemal – Romuald Boco – Hany Said – Kolo Toure
Moustapha Salifou – Mafisango Mutesa – Ndri Romaric
Issam Jemaa
Didier Drogba – Moumouni Dagano
GOALKEEPER
Kapango (Mozambique) – To keep players like Ikechukwu Uche, Peter Osaze Odemwingie, Obafemi Martins and Victor Nsofor Obinna from scoring for 90 minutes, it takes an impressive display and a goalkeeper of note, so Kapango of Mozambique gets our nod after keeping a clean sheet against the Super Eagles.
DEFENDERS
Ammar Jemal (Tunisia) – It’s not often that a defender gets onto the score sheet, but Ammar Jemal did just that when he netted the opener in Tunisia’s 2-1 victory over Kenya.
Romuald Boco (Benin) – Despite suffering a loss, Boco helped his side to keep Ghana at bay, stopping them from scoring for 89 minutes of the match in Accra after conceding early on.
Hany Said (Egypt) – The Egyptian was a solid figure at the back for his team in their 1-1 draw with Zambia, and despite receiving a yellow card, his defending was exemplary for the Pharaohs.
Kolo Toure (Ivory Coast) – Most of the play between Ivory Coast and Malawi took place in the Malawian half, but the Arsenal defender was on hand to make sure any counter attacks or hopeful dribbles were dealt with professionally, even helping out in attack on the odd occasion.
MIDFIELDERS
Moustapha Salifou (Togo) – The hard worker did well to hold the Togo midfield together against some of Africa’s finest middle men, allowing his side to celebrate a 1-0 home win against the Indomidable Lions.
Mafisango Mutesa (Rwanda) – The midfielder did well for Rwanda against Algeria, helping his side to secure a valuable 0-0 draw, and coming close to scoring on a few occasions, including a free kick in the early stages of the game.
Ndri Romaric (Ivory Coast) – Midfielder Romaric got his Ivory Coast side off to the best possible start with a first minute goal that proved to be the catalyst in a 5-0 thrashing of Malawi.
STRIKERS
Issam Jemaa (Tunisia) – The striker scored Tunisia’s winner over Kenya, allowing them to start off the next phase of the qualifying campaign in the best possible way.
Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) – The big attacker was back with a bang for the Ivory Coast, as the big Chelsea frontman led his team to a 5-0 annihilation of Malawi with two goals.
Moumouni Dagano (Burkina Faso) – Dagano scored a brace for Burkina Faso in their 4-2 victory over Guinea, including one from the spot. He secured the win for his country when Guinea were mounting a comeback, making sure of three points in the process.
SUBSTITUTES
Mudathir El Tahir (Sudan); Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo); Dennis Banda (Zambia); Katalena Aubameyang (Gabon).
This CAF Team of the Weekend is dedicated to the people that lost their lives on Sunday, as well as their families. May their souls rest in peace.
A word on Musonda, he actually blocked the shot, give him credit. His intention was block the shot and he was moving his arms out of the way, the ball hit him over the ribs…
I’m also stressing CAUTION! Zambia cannot rest on any of it’s laurels, there is still many things to be improved.
Ba CAF always biased towards West Africans and North Africans. We don’t care.
<
Eliza dont be a chicken. I write as I(NOTE-I) see. I love Noah, I know what he is capable of from his days at Warriors, Wits and as Under 23 Zambia skipper. Terrific person, a christian like me, but the truth is, he is not playing at Supersport Utd. Fact. They way i saw the game, Chivuta worked hard in midfield BUT he is much better than his performance against Egypt, am sure Noah can tell you that himself.
sacks wsazi- Egypt will kiss dust when they come calling at chililabombwe.Do not fear your opponents as if they are more human than you.Be positive,do not dwell in the past,our boys are just good.you amaze me, the draw we forced in cairo was not by chance, the boys played well.
we hope we can repricate the same perfomance against algeria in in algeria. Rwanda is strong and needs to be handed accordingly.
we can qualify with hard work
Like Justice said earlier on Musonda is mistake prune. No wonder he was not in the first eleven. But we need Musonda, Tana for experience throw them in at the end of games.
people how old is Kasonde and where was he all these years? I saw on some website that he was born in 69?
like i have said before i will continually bless Zambia to success in all its engagements, will ever prepare for a good result because there will never be room in my heart to prepare for defeat … only hopeless people prepare for defeat … my word like before … it is a grat season for new records for Mighty Zambia … how about going the 2010 FIFA World Cup and winning the CAN 2010!!! real possibilities … how about our team recliming its lost glory on the Fifa rankings!!! how about our two clubs setting & resetting new records!!! all things are possible, go Zambia go en God bless us all.
——————————————————————————–
This is from an Egyptian English paper.
Shehata grateful for fans support
By Sherif Tarek
First Published: March 30, 2009
CAIRO: Egypt tactician Hassan Shehata voiced his satisfaction with fans’ support during the Pharaohs’ 1-1 draw with Zambia in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers final phase.
The game was supposed to be a walk in the park for the African champions, but the Chipolopolo salvaged a point.
Egypt’s display was notably below-par. And Shehata summoned the courage to admit that his side failed to deliver the goods.
“I know that our fans were expecting a better result against Zambia, but they have to be patient,” he stated after the match.
“Our supporters were really magnificent, and I would like to thank them all for their faithfulness.
“We still have five games in hand. We haven’t given up hope of qualifying for the World Cup.”
Shehata’s statements were echoed by Ahmed “Mido” Hossam, who stressed on the importance the support Egypt get from the stands.
“Our fans were great today, but unfortunately we couldn’t seal a win,” said the Egypt striker, who was introduced as a second-half substitute.
On why the hosts couldn’t win the game, the towering player commented: “We are all as a team responsible for the unsatisfying result, you can’t blame it on individuals.
“Now we need to pull ourselves together fast and get ready for the Algeria trip. We would compensate for the slipped-away two points should we win the upcoming match.”
Egypt, who hasn’t reached the World Cup since 1990, will face the Desert Foxes on June 7.
Egypt assistant coach Shawki Gharib does not believe that Sunday’s draw will dent the team’s hopes of reaching the 2010 World Cup finals.
“There is a long way to go,” Gharib told the post-match press conference.
“Our draw against Zambia doesn’t mean that we will not qualify for the World Cup. Our confidence should not drop.”
All teams are now tied on one point after Algeria played out a goalless draw with Rwanda on Saturday.
“Algeria also drew so we shouldn’t be that worried. Yes we were held at home but in modern football it doesn’t matter, away and home ties are the same.”
Gharib also rued Egypt’s wasted chances throughout the match.
“We had many chances to kill off the game but we failed to make the most of them.”
“Anyway, Zambia played well and successfully closed down spaces in midfield although they did not create clear-cut chances.”
Guys, If SCEPTIC is Zambian, the government must not let him travel with us to the World Cup. LOL. BA ZAMBIA NKONKE! MPEBELENI KO,MPEBELENI KO, NDEKONKA!
Sceptic is a Tanzanian I think, remember during CHAN. They thought they had arrived.
According to his profile, Kasonde was born in 1986. I think the one who was born in 69 is Francis “Koje” Kasonde and not Francis “Mr. Reliable” Kasonde.
Mphande those of us who don’t live in Zambia, don’t know, who is who? At what time Zamfoot text me a line up with nick names-boy I was confused. Names like Figo!! I guess, Lwipa is Figo?
I don’t know who this fake sceptic is but he should find another user name because i have been the original one using this name from the beginning. “fake sceptic” what is your real name? You do not write like a passionate zambian but like a critic!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think that I was right when I said that this game would be just like the one Zambia played against South Africa in the qualifying round of the African Cup of Nations 2008 when nobody gave Zambia a chance to win.At the end of the match Zambia carried the day and the hero of the match was Kennedy Mweene at the time against South Africa and I even remember two South African commentators Carol Manana and Cynthia Tshaka heaping praise on him.I am of the opinion that Zambia will make it this time around and all the so called big teams will flop like Cameroun, Egypt,Nigeria,Morocco,Senegal and so on.
I am thinking the same. I really hope the so called big teams flop. Cameroon are too old, they cannot qualify, I will go in for Togo. Morocco won’t qualify, it will be Gabon, Nigeria and Tunisia should flop as well. Nigeria were almost beaten by the Mambas. Ghana and Ivory Coast should pull through. FAZ can we have 2 friendly Vs Ivory Coast and Ghana please before we meet Rwanda and one Vs Morocco before we meet Algeria.
Yes Justice before we go to Algeria we can camp in Tunisia or Morroco. In fact teams will be in SA for the conderation cup, we can play them in SA.
That’s true Ba Kaira. you are right, Lwipa is called Figo while Chintu is Modibo,Jacob during his Afrisport days in kitwe was called Pele, Kalaba if am not mistaken was called Mupa, Felix- Jet Li. for now those are the ones i can remember, any additions or subtractions?
I WOULD LIKE THANK ALL OF YOU GUYS FOR SUPPORTING THE TEAM IN SPIRIT AND HATS OFF RESPECT TO THE COACH AND THE TECHNICAL BENCH FOR SELECTING A FORMIDABLE SQUARD.
HR SHE NOT CHANGE PLAYERS IN THE DIENIG MINUTES OF THE GAME LIKE WHAT HE DID TO FWAYO TEMBO ETOILE DU SAHEL STRIKE HE NEEDED MORE TIME COUSE HONESTLY FELIX DOSENT PLAY 90 MINUTES IN FULL PHYSIC.
WE WANTED TO SEE FWAYO FOR TWENTY MINUTES OR SO COUSE HE HAS BEEN SCORING FOR HIS CLUB WHICH HAS WON CAF FOR THREE TIMES BACK TO BACK.
In my mind, while Zambia played well after a cagey start (in spite of the lapses of selfishness after brilliant runs), the hero of this game, and by far the man of the match was Kennedy Mweene.
He could have gotten a better body and read on Zaki’s goal, but his performance in the second half was nothing short of a joy to behold.
I’m willing to stick my head out of the water, and straight up say that ever since James Phiri, Zambia hasn’t had very good goalkeeping, but I do like Mweene (and Kakonje too, for that matter), and I hope that they keep on improving. Both, I believe are about 23-24 years old, and I think their natural athleticism can be complemented with some more improvement on technical side (i.e. reading crosses, communicating with defenders, ball distribution (which I should concede, Mweene was rather awful at), etc.)
I’m thrilled with our draw, and like many people have suggested, we could have had all three points. Let’s just hope that we capitalize on the opportunity: and that means, not taking the games vs. Algeria + Rwanda for granted, and taking care of business at home vs. the Pharaohs.
Much work is left to be done! But WE CAN SUCCEED!
Zambia national team soccer team Herve Renard believes Tunisia based striker Fwayo Tembo should start focusing on a regular berth in the senior set up not in the under-20 national team.
The Frenchman who is currently assisting under-20 mentor Oswald Mutapa Jr to drill the young guns ahead of this weekend’s Rwanda 2009 African Youth Championship against Egypt saw the exploits of the 19 year old in the first leg.
Having seen the likes of Clifford Mulenga, Emmanuel Mayuka, Nyambe Mulenga, Stophira Sunzu and Rodger Kola in action for the senior national team, Renard is convinced, Fwayo has all the attributes to follow the footsteps of his collegues from the famed class of ’07.
“I told Fwayo to start focussing at a place in the national team. He is a very good player. The under-20 is not his level and I saw that he is a very talented and skillfull player.
“But he has to work hard. In his position, there are also good players like Clifford Mulenga, James Chamanga, Felix (Katongo), Rainford Kalaba.HR
Teams like Tunisia will come knocking for friendlies coz of Mozambique being our neighbours and holding Nigeria.
It’s not me who made that comment.i was actually commenting on sceptics comment.
a bit disappointed,i had predicted 2 : 1 in favour of zambia,any atleast the worst results was a draw which is to our advantage.HR and the team congrats!!! now we have to wait for june 6 encounter…
chipolopolo iyeeee chipolopolo iyeee
I just hope that Renard’s tactical success was not down to luck…he has certainly improved his reputation with the fans but taking us to the World Cup remains the measurement of his success. Good start to the campaign but I just hope our expectations don’t rise too much and the boys remain committed and disciplined to the cause…
CHIPOLOPOLO
Hi Guys, Good Morning Zamfoot Bloggers. Chamwe, Magic and Ba Kapampa….. Did You see the behavior of MMD cadres at the airport the other day, Thats exactly how you guys are behaving on this blog. If someone does not agree with your views it doesnt mean he is an enemy or a foreigner. Anyways have a beautifull Day.
And you the other sceptic, why cant you change your username if you feel hurt or something. You are rarely on this blog and iam always here.
Congrants to Zambia they played well, hope it wont be poor finishing and all of you on this blog will be Crucifying HR
Hope you all excited chaps will sing the same song (praising HR & players) should we be hammered by Rwanda at home. I know Zambians very well. Its good to celebrate a good result such as the draw in Egypt, but do not get over the moon. Its a long way to go.
Its a mistake to say the door is closed for Sinkala or even Chansa and Mbesuma. We still need these guys should they pick up their game. We should learn to reason with the brain and not be overwhelmed by emotions. Lets learn from the past and dont easily forget the past.
Francis Kasonde from this team and Power Dynamos is not ‘Koje’. Koje was from Warriors.
That is why i have a bit of admiration for sceptic.He is the only genuine sceptic.The rest of you,’abdul’,lelo lelo, e.t.c are useless cowards.Why are you anonymous now?
Kolokombwa,
stop hallucinating about Sinkala. Together with Sichone, these guys should focus on their clubs in the lower divisions in Germany.
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