Zesco on Saturday conceded the second goal just one minute before full time to draw 2-2 with SuperSport in the return match of the quarterfinals played at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.
The score-line was 2-1 with a minute left on the clock when Thuso Phala equalised – a week after the first leg had finished goalless in South Africa.
“This is a luck issue. We had in the first half opportunities to score. Maybin Kalengo missed about four good opportunities. Jesse Were and Patrick Kongolo also failed to score,” Krmpotic said.
“Congratulations to my players they played well. Congratulations to our opponents they were good,” he said.
The Serbian trainer added that Zesco must move on after their elimination from the Confederation Cup.
Zesco United keeper and captain Jacob Banda described his team’s exit from the competition as heart-breaking.
“It is heart-breaking. As players we have to blame ourselves. We lacked concentration in the last minute,” a visibly shaken Banda mourned.
“We are now going to focus on the league. Fight hard and get back to the continental competition,” he said.
Zesco are shifting attention to Wednesday’s delayed Barclays Cup quarterfinal clash against Division One side Kitwe United at Nkana Stadium.
This coach has to be sacked. Ever since he took over the reigns, Zesco’s performance has not been convincing. George Lwandamina had assembled a good squad which could challenge for continental glory. The Serbian could have long been sacked and just because he is white, the management doesn’t want take a decision. Had it been a black coach he could have already been shown the door.
This thing of sacking coaches has to stop. Lwandamina should have been given two more seasons after the loss to Sundowns and this year we would have been celebrating conquering Africa. Let us not make the same mistake with this Serbian.
Both the coach and the players lacked footballing brain in that match. I would lock them up in one room and make them watch how Mourinho packs the bus and other tactics when leading and you have few minutes to go
I agree with you Peter 100%. The coach the boys were clueless on how to kill the game. I said it before on this forum that the defense for ZESCO and the nation at large with Silwimba in there is very unstable plus goalkeepers. That game was typical of lack of tactics and concentration on the part of defender and goalkeeper. Silwimba is very slow in reacting and so was goalkeeper. The ball was landing in 18 box, where was keeper and the number 2? Shambolic defense, very poor to say the least and if they think of playing in continental football, I bate you me, not with that kind of defense and goalkeeping. Neither should it be that technical bench, honestly!
The problem with our players is that of luck of game plan, they don’t play the way other teams do. when a game is about to finish they should slow down the game and start touch game just to pass time, rather than kicking high balls which always finds way to their opponents.
ZESCO, lucked this and that is way they lost instead of starting the game from behind the goal keeper was busy kicking high balls which found the opponents …..even people like me who are not soccer analysts can tell that the game would end the way it did.
The loss was painful, but when the coach who is supposed to analyse the game attributes the loss to “unluck”, then it will happen again because lessons have not been learned.
Unfortunately this happens at the national team level, as well. Our technical benches should learn to analyse games and at least have some knowledge of tactics. A minute to go, the opponents equalize, ZESCO, Under-20.
We have respected foreign coaches than our own. And yet our own coaches performs well than their counterpart. The same thing, look at most of these foreign players in our league compared to our own players. I totally agree that about 25% of them have added value to our premier league.
Coming back to coaches look at City of Lusaka. That coach is far less as compared to High School coaches we have so far. Look at Kabwe Academy coach and compare with that coach at City.
With foreign players we have a few who have added value to our league such as mugalu, Binene, Odiambo, that top scorer for Mighty, deigo and a few others.
Most of these foreign coaches have failed to adapt to our advanced football at African levels. They better start with Division teams like the coach for Kitwe…