Kennedy Mweene, the talismanic goalkeeper whose heroics in saving one penalty and scoring another have kept Zambia on course for the knock-out stages, has said that the team has hope of qualifying to the quarter finals.
Speaking yesterday to jopurnalists, Kennedy Mweene said that the tam can still qualify.
“Look, we still have hope. We’ll work hard in training, we can’t give up. We have to fight, we are the champions after all.
“It won’t be easy, but we can still qualify for the quarter-finals.”
Captain Christopher Katongo admitted they face a must-win game.
“Everybody knows the importance of the last game — Nigeria and Zambia have to win their last group games,” he stressed.
Zambia’s Southampton striker Emmanuel Mayuka added: “I believe we will get the result we need against Burkina Faso — we just have to win.”
Algeria were the last title-holders to go out in the first round, following up their 1990 title win by picking up just one point from two matches two years later in Senegal.
Zambia hold the upper hand in previous Nations Cup meetings with the Burkinabe, winning two and drawing the other, but the side from west Africa that ended an 18-match winless run in spectacular style with a 4-0 rout of Ethiopia last Friday represent stiff opposition.
They are missing first-choice goalkeeper Abdoulaye Soulama, banned for two matches after being sent off against Ethiopia. Soulama suffered a personal tragedy the same day when his father was killed in a car crash.
Burkina, guided by Belgian coach Paul Put, have surprisingly emerged as one of the teams of the first round, largely helped by the deadly left foot of Alain Traore.
The France-based midfielder saved the day in stoppage time against Nigeria, and produced two superb goals in the demolition of Ethiopia.
“The Ethiopia win will give us the confidence to face defending champions Zambia in our last group game,” noted Put.
“We will be ready for Zambia and we are committed and united in our cause to qualify.
“We are closer to qualifying, but we have to keep our feet on the ground.”
Burkina have succeeded in extricating themselves from the first round only once in eight appearances, when they finished fourth under French coach Philippe Troussier as hosts of the 1998 edition.
They will be deeply disappointed if they don’t double that tally in Nelspruit.
I hope you dont
and I know you wont sorry Mweene
Thanks
Who are you, really, I mean whats really your problem?
musho you are a stupid girl.do you understand?
As per usual there goes Mushota with her shortage of knowledge and interest in Zambian affairs, yet spends her life reading about Zambia and everything Zambian!
stupid Mushota…..
I agree with you Mushota 100%
Zambia will lose terribly today, Zambia 0 – 5 Burkinabe.
Go – Zambia – Go! Forget about the imporster Mushota and MwansaKabinga another imporster ( I know he is not the one that writes Generation or is it Mubvango??)
Mushota dont be silly……
Stupid Musho
musho….ndo liule
I know we can make it but what is our line up? Upon seing the starting line up then i will know we shall been BFA. If u guys get booted out you will go back to zambia by public buses and FAZ will give each one of you exact transport money, whilst reaching home you go straight to fee paying police cells.
If you don’t expect it, expect it that Zambia is winning today.
Renard, we have to follow through with the winning formula 4-2-4. We need all the striking force of Kalaba, Mayuka, Mbesuma and Katongo all in the first line up. These four need to score at least two goals in the first 30 minutes.
They are also very good at overlapping which means they can drop down to the middle field and pick up from there do a one two into Burkina Faso’s danger zone. So, technically we should have have six players from the middle field into DZ.
Sunzu needs three more people at the back … Chisamba and Lungu together with any other combination will be instrumental there with him. I expect a serious game today and it does not have to be pretty but we must win at all costs. God speed to you all, our fantastic franchise called the Zambian Enterprise wishes you luck.
Ba BR Mumba, this your formation is suicidal. I have never seen a team play this kind of formation. Two (2) midfielders, oh my word? Foot ball is played in the midfield and if you are outplayed their, no chance for you to score even if you have four (4) strikers. You also put too much pressure on your defence when you have 2 midfielders and therefore you are likely to concede goals. If you say 4-3-3 formation, I will agree.
Renard, just do it the French way mon ami. The last world cup France won, they did it not because they played pretty but because the scored pretty. That’s what the smart people of the Zambian Enterprise need today, vous comprenez?
Hahaha! Ati Chisamba and Lungu… Anyway, today’s game will be won in the first half with Zambia scoring the first. 2 goals before the break in Zambia’s 3-1 triumph over the Burkinabes. Go Zambia Go!!
Ba Soccer Analyst:
Your 4-3-3 is technically a 4-2-4 if one of your striker is overlapping. Kalaba, Mayuka are always overlapping, Katongo and Mbesuma usually do that very well but today they have to. In my second paragraph above I alluded to it so we are really going to have six players because we have to ask them to overlap into the middle field.
But once they pick up the ball from there, they move into striking position and with four moving forward, even if the ball happens to bounce off the BF defenders, you still have three with a chance to pick up from the danger zone to score unless it is cleared away!
The game against Nigeria in the scond half ended up being played with a 4-2-4 formation after Katongo and Chisamba were sustituted, we need this formation to score early.
ATI CHISAMBA AND LUNGU!!!! KEKEKEKE. DO U WANT US TO SPLIT HIM (CHISAMBA LUNGU) INTO 2. KEKEKEKE.
How can a striker overlap?
Only the back four overlap and that formation is highly suicidal given that you don’t want to concede a goal or worst draw; with a formation like that you are greatly exposing your back four because you have already lost the midfield battle and you easily risk losing one of them via yellow cards or worst red especially against a counter attacking team like BF.
Two strikers or three upfront (the third being an attack minded midfielder) is the best option remember that they are using their No. 2 goalie and he needs to tested at every given opportunity.
# 1 Mushota – Shut your mouth….kolokombwa iwe!!
Zambia 2 Burkinabe 0 …………shame on Mushota!
Somehow I should admit that Mushota is a serious attention seeker, and for some reason we are also always giving it to her… I mean ATTENTION!
Pals. one day know one should respond to this Mushota arrangement. Sooner or later she will not be posting as NO ONE will be interested in her maniac thinking.
Go Zambia Go…!!!!! Bukinabe here we come loaded with all Copper Bullets…. Eyeeeeh Chipolopolo…..
sorry for being off topic…but why do our council offices (civic centers) operate like this….just to get an introductory letter, should take a month? you go there, they say they dont have tonner to print it. you go there after 3 weeks, they say “oh we got the tonner but come after two days cause we are having a meeting today with the TC. How can we teach these guys to operate like private firms where effieciency is the order of the day. their inertia is dragging the country backwards…I mean some of us are in a hurry to develop ZAMBIA. but how can we do it when the town or city admin is sleeping or crawling with small things such as generating a letter. awe mwe. ba PF pay these guys surprise visit, as I am typing this right now they have locked their offices and knocked off.
This is typical of the service you get in any public and GRZ offices. Is it any wonder that the country fails to develop, everyone is a small god in the office. If you have lived abroad for long you will never cope in Zambia. The mediocrity greets you at Lusaka airport as you arrive.
This Mushota girl is literally insane…..always very negative i wonder which part of earth she comes from where they are always negative in their thinking
Thats why things like ROAD TAX,Motor vehicle licences were withdrawn from them.
Mushota,
You may not be getting enough sxx from your muzungu and that is affecting your mental faculties greatly. If u cant find one of htose stray Nigerians there to attend to your needs, be on the next plane back home and you will be alright!!!
Mushota are u normal? i now blieve u r a prostitute. ni attention yabwanji ye ufuna, sunapangeko last night?
I agree with you Mushota 100%
Zambia will lose terribly today, Zambia 0 – 5 Burkinabe.
Zambia is done!!!
I don’t take anything Mushota says seriously. She normally says the opposite of what you are talking about to sway your attention. Even when she talks about her PhD and Nick, she just feels bored so she will always say something with a smile on her face knowing how you will react. Zambian are very united when they are abroad, that is if she is in fact abroad. I have done the same before just to keep bloggers at bay while I enjoy their comments, but not insults of course.
I hope Zambia wins, they should just stop focusing on the silly dances after scoring -get on with the job boys, you are not such good dancers but great footballers
I am UPND by politics but I like the donch kubeba dance after they score, better than those other funny things.
Gents, the only way Zambia can win this match is if we brided the referee into giving us two penalties. I’m sure that is what the Nigerians will do for the Ethiopia match.
Nigerians must go home. I don`t like them around. Corrupt, thieves, womanisers, comen and every evil you can think of, including damaging the South African girls with their `weapons of mass distruction`. Let them go and fight Boko Haram.
Billboard Daka,
Unfortunately all these evils you have listed are probably more prevalent in Zambia than elsewhere, so avoid throwing the first stone.
The solitary goal return per match by Chipolopolo is so disappointing! These Stallion guys are young and hungry to write history come tonight with the likes of Alain Traore and his strong foot 2gether with the 2nd choice g-keeper,Diakitte who put on a good show against Ethiopia.
To say the truth,Zambia is riding on the brilliance of K.Mweene and he cannot do it all the time without the improvement of his compatriots,remember you were singing Kalaba of late as the only pivotal man,and now he’s performance is so dismaying.Just count yourselves out of this one! Nigeria is going to whip the hapless Ethiopians on their way to the Q-final.
Q-Final prediction:
Ivory Coast Vs B.Faso;
Nigeria Vs Togo.
Ba Mumba, 4-2-4 does not exist in soccer… get ‘soccer for dummies rule-book’ and learn. We need three strikers… Mayuka will definately start coz is more mobile than Collins and Mulenga..so in essence we gona play collins and Mulenga as twin strikers… we can not allow burkibes to roam our mid-field… this is engine room where planning and execution is done. I know we just need a simple win to go through.. Since burkina will be looking for a draw, they will defend like mad.. so it is gona be Zam 1 – Burkina 0…
mushota baibes, keep taking your medication or i inform your doctors that your illness z turning you into a stupid blogger.
Why is almost everyone expecting Zambia to win when we have been poor. Be honset at times look at the results below;
Sudan Zambia 2-0
Uganda Zambia 1-0
Saudi Arabia Zabia 2-1
South Korea Zambia 2-1
Tanzania Zambia 2-0
Angola Zambia 2-0
And you expect to win
honest I mean
6 defeats since winning AFCON and only 2 wins
Is satelite TV killing zambian football?Is that why zambia chances of advancing are so slim? The article BBC’s website touching on zambian football seems to think so.
I am at that game tonight. If I see that PF supporter in a blue underwear alefwenkula like he did during the game against Ethiopia I will beat him. Niminyama zija. Thats why we drew that game how can an adlut start shaking his waist like that in public. Typical PF manners..and the guy had a big uncircumcised stick.
yaba ..