September 6, 2010
On the opinion poll which was on the site for the last four days, 69% of the Chipolopolo faithful predicted that Zambia was going to score four goals past Comoros while 23% went for a 2-0 win with 5% and 4% going for a goalless draw and a 1-0 upset by the Indian Ocean Islanders.
Thumbs up for those who voted for a 4-0 win as you got just that! So how did the Chipolopolo perform on Sunday?
Below the Zambianfootball.net takes a look at how each player executed his duties at Nkoloma Stadium.
Kennedy Mweene - The goalkeeper summed it up on his social networking page, Facebook wall, “I didn’t do anything. I could have just remained at the hotel. Ha Ha Ha! Not even one save, never used my hands today in the whole game only when it was a goal kick. Surely no need to be rated.
Joseph Musonda – Combined well with Felix Katongo for Zambia’s first goal and provided an assist. He also had a long range shot saved by the Comoros goalkeeper. Defenders mature with age. 6.8
Emmanuel Mbola – Nothing to unsettle him defensively and he had his usual dangerous attacks. Just his overlapping down the left flank was a marvel to watch. 6.7
Billy Mwanza – Back in the national team after a two years absence, the Zesco United defender accounted for himself though he was tested defensively. Saw his header saved in the second half. 6.5
Kampamba Chintu – Another example of defenders mature with age! Calm on the ball but kept on shouting instructions to his teammates. Did ok but again the defensive unit weren’t tested. 6.5
Chris Katongo – For the first time in two years ‘Tsunami’ played like a captain atleast or is it Staff Sergeant. Had an assist for James Chamanga’s goal and hit the woodwork in the second half. 7
Noah Chivuta – His long rang passing was almost perfect but Chivuta struggled a bit on the ball especially in the first half. 6.9
Rainford Kalaba – Set up the Chipolopolo on the road by scoring the first goal but lack of game time caught up. 7. 3
Felix Katongo – The usual stamp on the game we expect from the Libyan based playmaker. One magical moment set up Musonda for Kalaba’s goal and an assist for Fwayo. 8
Fwayo Tembo – A quality goal and generally Zambia’s biggest threat. What a way of making your full international debut in your hometown. He was simply awesome and the fans showed it by giving him a deservedly standing ovation! 9
James Chamanga – In the absence of Jacob Mulenga, the Far East based striker led the line well and marked it with a well taken header. His hold up and link up play was terrific at times. 8
Jonas Sakuwaha – Came on for Felix and the French based winger added pace and spark in the final third combined with his tricky foot work to the much delight of the fans. 7.1
Isaac Chansa – Straight swap for the tiring Kalaba. Brought a bit of energy to the engine room but kept it simple. No Gattuso-ish! 6.5
Emmanuel Mayuka – Super Sub! Replaced fellow Swiss based Fwayo and the striker scored the fourth goal with a well taken header. 7.2
Dario Bonetti – This was a good training game for him. And spot on his starting lineup as well his substitutions but he will face a different test next month in Tripoli! 8
[Photos by Jean Mandela] Jean covered both the FIFA World Cup in South Africa as a freelance photograther
Do you agree with the player ratings above? Who was you star player in the game? Have Your Say
55 Comments on "Player Ratings: Zambia 4-0 Comoros"
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Mabbwana on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 11:19 AM
The matures really accounted for themselves very well and will give the young ones a run for their money. DB should continue blending the young and older guys.
Apart from Noah who seemed uncomfortable in the holding role, but showed great vision and passing (especially in trying to switch play), I think Muzo, Chintu and Chamanga accounted for themselves very well. DB should quickly find himself a holding midfielder.
Chansa also had a good game.
Asilikale on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 12:01 PM
Chris shudnt start the games am teln u its nt sidelining hm,its lukn at wht he wud contribute the game,super sub better 4hm, 4-0 bt poor play.
Kopala on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 12:20 PM
Chris should seriously cnsinder retiring from the international game. He is finished
Big Steve from SA on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 12:21 PM
Did not watch the game but going by the Zamfoot ratings Chris did better than most of the players on the field so I’m not sure what Asilikale is on about.
Good to know Mbola had a good game, I guess all the running in the Arsenal trial brought him upto speed probably thats why he was fitter than Kalaba yet they both lack match fitness. When you think of it we really had old guards in defense. Billy, Chintu and the oldest guard Musonda.
Big Steve from SA on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 12:23 PM
@ Kopala, I’m not sure the coach at Xanathi who happens to be far more versed in soccer issues than yourself would agree with you.
Gerogia Russia on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 12:43 PM
i think you guys are being so personal over Chris,,he had a good game and its not rite to say hes finished,what more do you want from Chris,,
Magic on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 1:10 PM
Hi guys, can some objective people please assist those of us that did not watch the game to resolve the Chris Katongo issue. Some people are saying he should retire yet others are saying he had a good game. Polar opposite observations. Please advise? He is our captain and we need stability in the leadership ranks so what is the objective verdict on Chris?
Gametime12 on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 1:17 PM
Am happy for Fwayo Tembo and Mayuka this is Zambia’s future and these two kids have discipline and the hunger of a young player. Keep it up guys, this was a positive for me in this game. Mbola should fix his mistake and he’ll be on his way to greatness.
Ba Kalampa on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 1:20 PM
i love the old n youth blend…..it was a good game…the tripoli game will be a good acid test…well done copper bullets……for kalaba his intelligence on the pitch should show off the pitch as well when sighning his contracts…he needs a team quickly……
sizu on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 1:54 PM
good game.
Chikchap on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 2:29 PM
Gametime12, FT (Fwayo Tembo) is already drunk in mutendere, Chirs very wel and was fighting for every ball.
Chikchap on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 2:35 PM
Gametime12, FT (Fwayo Tembo) is already drunk in mutendere, Chirs meant Chris very wel and was fighting for every ball.
Chikchap on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 2:37 PM
Gametime12, FT (Fwayo Tembo) is already drunk in mutendere, Chirs meant Chris played very wel and was fighting for every ball.
Marvin on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 3:23 PM
Congrats to Chipolopolo! But the team still needs efficiency and that means converting chances into goals. Yes 4 nil is ok but if a team has 24 shots at goal and converts only 4 that is a poor ratio. So the technical bench must work on accuracy.
Chris needs composure otherwise he will lose his place in this competitive team. Chamanga scored but he sometimes fluffed with the ball and easily lost the ball or let the ball roll away when he could have converted.
We still need more quality to dispatch stronger teams.
Richie on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 3:31 PM
I think all those that are saying Chris is finished are not sincere and they lack the basic knowledge of assessing the performance of a player.
Yesterday Chris showed all the sour mouthed people that he still has the energy of a young person and shamed those who were saying he is in his late thirties.If anyone out there can get a chance to watch it again,please do it and see for yourselves how C.K performed.The man can still pass the ball,fight for possession and win it,he can dribble and above he is helpful to the defenders and attackers.
Man ceasor on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 3:36 PM
finished chris he claims he is 27yrs bt plays lik a 40yr old,mbola n kabala shouldnt b playn.
Bwana on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 3:45 PM
Ladies and Gentlmen,lets call a spade – spade,and not a big spoon. Forgive me if i will sound a bit personal,but im only calling a spade-A spade,and not a big spoon. NOAH CHIVUTA,the oldest 27yr old i have ever seen,like i said earlier,he was zambias weakest link in yesterdays game.he has great vision(like XABI ALONSO),nice switching and nice long passes.but he wasnt comfortable on the ball.He was unable to win lose balls.He surely needs to improve his game.we cant count on him as our NUMBER 6(looking at yesterdays Display).CHRIS(the oldest 28yr old),we all know what chris could do but he cant do anymore. i Beg to disagree wit Zamfoot,giving him a rating of 7 is an overstament.For all those who watched the game,do you agree that Chris performance was as good as Mayukas,Jonas or even Ba Muzo?definately NOT.if its comparing with ba Muzo,i think ba Muzo even had a much better game coz they both play on te right.i dont understand how CHRIS could be rated highly than ba Muzo.(Zamfoot,thats your home work).I agree with Asikale,Chris should not be playing a full match(best Last 30Mins).@Kopala,may be asking Chris to retire now will be too much .i think the best will be to just use him as a sub.his presence surely motivates the team.@Ba Big Steve from SA,im sure the well vested coach at Xanthi(Chirs new club) has been mislead.he believes Chris is really 28yrs.he surely believes he can improve,not knowing that actually,the guys game is going down,he has passed his best(see how long he will last at that club).he was the best player at brondby,but why did they let him go?Germany?same.now Xanthi.In that game,i would have preffered Jonas to start ahead of Chris.Congrats to everyone,the players and the coaching staff,the fans-we are on the right track.lets not lose direction.good start.
CHIPOLOPOLO 1 on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 4:02 PM
Chris is going nowhere you just have to leave with it all those calling for him to retire…….!!!!!
Derricknho on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 4:06 PM
Chris did not play well.He lacked technique and leadership on the pitch as in cordinating and detecting game play or flow.He was making mistakes anyhow and we all know Comoros is a very weak team which even Nkana can beat.If he shows lack of composure and self confidence in such games what more when you play Arabs with their usual tight marking and highly technical kind of play?Chris deserves a spot on the bench.Felix is fantastic and he was the man of the match.Fwayo,Mayuka,Sakuwa and Jacob are the future for Zambia.Kalaba needs to be playing active soccer as well as Mbola and Chivuta otherwise being on the bench would do as their match fittness is really lacking. Isaac and William Njovu would have been a perfect combination.When we go to Lybia, we need to have players who are playing actively and in proper leagues not clubless Mbola,Kalaba and Chivuta.Billy is also quesionable and I would prefer Sunzu in his place.We all have seen Sunzu playing for TP Mazembe in CAF Champions league games and he made a good partnership with Chintu.Consistency at this point is essentially important.I do not think Billy adds any value to our team at the moment.
Mabbwana on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 4:09 PM
Magic, here is what I think is my objective opinion of Chris.
First of all, Chris had his best game in Zambian colors since the Zambia vs Egypt game at the AFCON when he scored.
But again this was a game for every player going forward to shine. He worked his lings out in midfield winning balls and pushing forward with a lot of power and zeal. Naturally, Chris lacks the flair, composure and fineness we want to see in our Zambian team, but he puts in a lot of effort.
With an assist, for Chamanga, hitting the bar and the all round energy, he earned his money.
But he needs to raise his game because soon he will be overtaken by the upcoming lads.
For now, he deserves his place in the team. He may not be my natural choice especially for home games when we need to attack, but he will remain an asset when we need a workaholic to frustrate and scare the enemy.
DAVE MAEGESI on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 4:10 PM
I think all u gusy against chris should get a like, the guy is superb, ur dam jealous, we need him to motivate the lads, big teams,
willy d on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 4:10 PM
chris is a good player but i think lets give chance to young stars like saku,its beta chrs come on as a super sub.
Shadbeat on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 4:13 PM
Cool game but i think Chris K shud be starting from the bench coz i think we have better players who can do that job better than HIM, on Noah Chivuta, i did not see anything bad the guy did a very excellent JOB, KALABA was a marvel to watch and in my opinion his substitution was not that he was tired but because he sustained an injury as for Isaac, i was not convinced with his performance
Derricknho on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 4:15 PM
Good analysis Bwana! Chris’s day are coming to an end.The sooner we find a replacement the better.Noah is not a natural midfielder.He can play as a winger he is got nice crosses.Rainford is natural, he can play almost all positions except in goal and defence.We still need a defensive midfielder.
CHIPOLOPOLO 1 on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 4:20 PM
@Bwana for your informationn Chris was rated very highly in Germany and the could not afford to pay his high wages that why he was put on transfer nothing to do with his performance…….
Logic on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 4:29 PM
The coach thinks Chris is good enough to play so all you CK haters just need to deal with it
Mphatso on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 4:45 PM
I am not a big fan of Chris, but this time I think am gonna stand by him. I think Chris played better yestday. He wasnt that good at afcon. Besides even the best players in the world (Ronaldo, messi, rooney,drogba, torress, etc) sometimes have OFFDAYS. Now if u kick out a player based on one ‘off day’ perfomace, then I can guarantee u, by the end of the qualifiers we wont have a team! tomoro mayb Fwayo’s offday, the next cud be Mbola, are u honestly telling me that the manager shud then go ahead and kick them out?..no ways! the only solution wud b to tactifully sub that player wen u realise hes not playin well in that particular game than to ‘retire’ them. We still need Chris. We may have bright young players, but we can still count on the experience and inspiration of chris. For once lets talk positive guys. This team played well, we got the 3 points, now on to the next game!!
Man ceasor on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 5:33 PM
zfoot owayz favours players like mbola,kalaba n chris as sam1 said lets cal a spade a spade.
Jics on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 5:35 PM
Great team work guys keep it up. Chris is great, if he was bad on the pitch the coach would have sub him. And its funny note that all the Arabs draw their first games.
MUMU on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 5:54 PM
4 me chris was the best player up front unless you guys critising him have something against him,please lets give credit were its due
Anonymous on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 6:06 PM
Is there any link were to watch the highlights
emmanuel on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 6:20 PM
captain inspirational ZAMBIA 3 south africa 1 hat trick.get the of chris when u play him as a striker not a winger.
Asilikale on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 7:21 PM
@Bgstevefrmsthafrc
u neva b sure of asilikale if ua only interestd in goals CHRIS shud play sub 4hm to make a bigger contribution than the harm he does in 90min,sorry yo name bore me i cudnt typ it the way u put it.
Jojo on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 7:28 PM
Whats with the christopher katongo hatred??he may not have impressed a whole lot in recent games but he is still a very good footballer,on top of that he is our captain..give the man some credit,if you’ve followed his career closely you will realise its not easy to do what he has done..at kalulushi modern stars and GBFC he was an attacking midfielder(number 8).at jomo cosmos he was a centre forward,in denmark he played in the hole just behind the striker,in germany he mainly played on the wings,for zambia he has played in different positions.now.you cannot be able to adapt to different positions like he has done if you are not a good footballer,his current lack of goals for zambia is down to his position on the pitch rather than his perceived deterioting form..we use him wide on the right and most times he drifts in midfield to increase numbers in that area….
Zamfoot on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 7:56 PM
zfoot owayz favours players like mbola,kalaba n chris as sam1 said lets cal a spade a spade.
__________________________________________________________
@ Man ceasor
Lets move away from this childish motions. Every time its Zamfoot does and that. Why do we us Zambian concentrate on minor things. Instead of debating on real issues, you want to waste your energy on trivial things.
For own information we have criticized and questioned Mbola’s performance before.
Go back to the 3-2 loss to Cameroon in Angola. This is how we rated Emmanuel Mbola boss
_________________________________________________________________
Emmanuel Mbola – He is having a terrible tournament by his own standards . He should take the blame for Cameroon’s second goal when he allowed to be turned in and out. Its time his raised up his game- 5/10.
Click here to confirm that we gave Mbola an average mark…
On the player ratings above, I think it goes back to one of the objectives of the site when we started it. Sharing ideas as no one is perfect!
It doesn’t mean our ratings are perfect, we are simply trying to guide and thankfully bloggers like (those who watched the game) Richie Bwana, Jojo, Mabbwana, Derricknho, Mphatso, Logic etc have come in and offered their analysis, which one of us appreciate.
You (Man Ceasor) are in Livingstone and we guess you watched the game, why can’t you give us your depth analysis. The other guys in Zambia have given us their views and hopefully for the Libya, those in diaspora will do the same.
‘Knowledge is like manure so lets share it!
yamishi on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 7:56 PM
Chris is stil a gud player & he has a heart 4 mother zambia,he played a very wonderful game.
SHOOTTER on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 8:41 PM
I’ll will always like Chris, wether playing or retired, but for those who saw the comoros game with two
eyes for 90minutes. saw that all of our players played well. But, if we were to pick 2 or 3 wick links from the players who played in that game. Then, its Automatically ” chris, chivuta and chamaga” the later scored but sometimes its not only about scoring. Napwisha!!!
SHOOTTER on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 8:42 PM
I’ll will always like Chris, wether playing or retired, but for those who saw the comoros game with two
eyes for 90minutes. saw that all of our players played well. But, if we were to pick 2 or 3 wick links from the players who played in that game. Then, its Automatically ” chris, chivuta and chamaga” the later scored but sometimes its not only about scoring. Napwisha!!!!
Jc on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 8:49 PM
I think there was no opposition to talk about and therefore not good game for ratings. however a few observations. the team is not efficient and against strong opposition zambia wil realy struggle to score. Noah chivuta struggled and boneti should seriosly look for alterntives. For chris playing such opposition maybe its fine but against strong opposition his clumpsnes and lack of precision could be costly
Titus on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 9:45 PM
mulenga will b bk so well have efficient scorers in Mayuka, tembo, felix, kalaba……
n the subject of chris..he is still a good player but ( yes here come the hate comments from some bloggers) we should start utillising JONAS sakuwaha…..I feel like he is the only player who can play the position Captain is playing,
he is strong, pacy composed and can finish!!!! Chris is a good player but we need to be using Jonas for most of the game…..n for those worrying about motivators we have katongo mweene n mulenga three experienced players
Asilikale on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 10:06 PM
Woh woh no hate ka Chris we jst see hm much helpng as a super sub nt a begginer unless ua only interestd in goals n his running the let hm play 90min,otherwise he has to come frm the bench .
Asilikale on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 10:07 PM
Woh woh no one hate ka Chris katongo i see hm much helpng as a super sub nt a begginer unless ua only interestd in goals n his running then let hm play 90min,otherwise he has to come frm the bench .
zimandola chipoya on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 10:16 PM
Chris must start on the bench then saku shud start, I think that the way to go.
SHOOTTER on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 10:26 PM
@Titus, No one is flowing hatred at Chris, its only that people are concerned because, the chris we have seen from 2010 Qualifiers to AFCON up to comoros game is
not the chris of S. Africa 1 Zambia 3 hat-rick hero.
And, we are not saying that chris shoudn’t be even called, he is much part of the team, but with his ”current form” I don’t think he should be playing 90minutes when there are players who can fill is place just perfectly with just a little international experience, ‘saku’
Richie on Tue, 7th Sep 2010 12:18 AM
@shooter,zimandola chipoya and asilikale,can anyone or all of you guys categorically state your reasons for saying C.K should be played for the last 30 minutes?
Gerogia Russia on Tue, 7th Sep 2010 8:29 AM
i think zamfoot should avoid commenting on this blog,,why not defend yo selves by writing a blog other than coming in between comments..
Mufana on Tue, 7th Sep 2010 9:15 AM
I wander if we were watching the same game if you can rate Chris katongo like that.
Katuta on Tue, 7th Sep 2010 10:20 AM
I think lets be fair,honestly how can you say Chris played well with those’ Makula’ guys from the island he did nothing,he was just just running any how as if he was playing,that man is tired,and who told you that Chris is 28 that is also useless,i was in the same class with him,am 34 years old Chris was even older than me.Coming to that match we still have a long way to go,in case you don’t know our group may be decided on goal aggregate because from what i see its Zambia which has beaten that team 4-0, our friends in our group will hammer those guys not less than 7-0,we should have done better,we don’t know what will happen when we go to Libya should we lose there it will be mathematical because Mozambique will try by all means to score more goals against Comoros and Libya will try by all means to beat Zambia even if 1-0 it will enough for them,we still have a mountain to climb lets not just celebrating those guys are still learning football we should have scored more than 8 but we were so reluctant in the second half Why?is it the coach who told them to relax or players themselves,my thanks go to Jonas and Mayuka for coming with firing power we need this players to start especially Jonas not ba Chris please.
kwekwe on Tue, 7th Sep 2010 10:56 AM
we all know chris is played his role in zed football n its time 2 close tht chapter.bt like owez with us zambians until a day he will really lose us a game thts when we will do somethng abt it.
Max on Tue, 7th Sep 2010 12:16 PM
Ba kopala, Asilikale!!!!!!! Zambians zambians! tamutasha! u like asking for too much! no one has impressed a zambian. When zambian draw with nigeria before the africa cup most of the pipo said Nigeria didnt field in the strongest side, they beat both korea and some body says they are weak. No belief in our own player’s capababilities. Chris played well in that game against comoros. He worked so hard outside the box. The fact that he didnt score doesnt mean he didnt play well. u can start calling for his retirement at this time. We need experienced players in the next four or so years especially for the world cup qualifiers. Because of your talk many players have been sidelined who would have been heplping our country now. The problems that our own Mbesuma is experiencing has its roots in our own country. Our failure to appreciate him. He made mistakes like missing a penalty in chililabombwe and so forth but who doesnt in football. Asamoah Gyan missed a crucial penalty in South africa but no Ghanian mocked him to hell. Veteran Ronaldo put on a lot of weight but corinthian, a team from Brazil stil saw something in him and got him. He has been performing well. Chris did what he could. he played well not perfect because no one does it perfecto!
Max on Tue, 7th Sep 2010 12:17 PM
Ba kopala, Asilikale!!!!!!! Zambians zambians! tamutasha! u like asking for too much! no one has impressed a zambian. When zambian drew with nigeria before the africa cup most of the pipo said Nigeria didnt field in the strongest side, they beat both korea and some body says they are weak. No belief in our own player’s capababilities. Chris played well in that game against comoros. He worked so hard outside the box. The fact that he didnt score doesnt mean he didnt play well. u can start calling for his retirement at this time. We need experienced players in the next four or so years especially for the world cup qualifiers. Because of your talk many players have been sidelined who would have been heplping our country now. The problems that our own Mbesuma is experiencing has its roots in our own country. Our failure to appreciate him. He made mistakes like missing a penalty in chililabombwe and so forth but who doesnt in football. Asamoah Gyan missed a crucial penalty in South africa but no Ghanian mocked him to hell. Veteran Ronaldo put on a lot of weight but corinthian, a team from Brazil stil saw something in him and got him. He has been performing well. Chris did what he could. he played well not perfect because no one does it perfecto!
Friday Njikata on Tue, 7th Sep 2010 2:34 PM
There is nothing to celebrate about. Playing Comoros was just like Chelsea playing Nakambala Leopards. Lets wait for tougher challenges and judge from there. I loved Dario’s subs though, really spot on I only hope he ll be allowed to work independently by Kalu.
justice kafusha on Thu, 9th Sep 2010 12:20 PM
If talking was football then Zambia would have been world champions, with at least 10000 medals. But guys tula landa kwena, nomba it is too much mwe, takwaba fwe yashani? awe ine nakana.
justice kafusha on Thu, 9th Sep 2010 12:26 PM
If you do like ZAMFOOT then do something e.g. making your own website and that is that not ukulanda fwe lyonse takwaba
justice kafusha on Thu, 9th Sep 2010 12:27 PM
not