Zambia’s 2018 CHAN dream turned into a nightmare on Saturday night when Sudan eliminated them from the tournament in Morocco.
Sudan beat Zambia 1-0 in Marrakech to send Chipolopolo out at the quarterfinal stage for a second successive outing.
Guinea did the same at Rwanda 2016 in Zambia’s second CHAN tournament appearance.
Meanwhile, the spotlight on lethargic Zambia fell on Nkana central defender John Mwengani.
Mwengani was making his tournament debut as coach Wedson Nyirenda shuffled his backline after right back Simon Silwimba missed the match to serve a one match suspension following two cards he accrued in the group stages.
Mwengani partnered Ziyo Tembo while the latter’s regular partner Adrian Chama was shifted into Silwimba’s position.
However, Mwengani who had enjoyed an outstanding 2017 season at Nkana after joining from Forest Rangers instead endured a Zambia debut he will never forget.
It was through him that Sudan scored the game’s lone goal in the 32nd minute when he was turned in-side-out by Maki Saifeldin before leaving the defender in his wake.
Mwengani’s day almost turned from bad to worse in the 49th minute when he nearly conceded an own-goal.
Fortunately the football gods spared him another embarrassment and decided to guide the ball out for a corner- and two minutes later- he was replaced by Jack Chirwa.
Meanwhile, Zambia’s best chance of the game came in the 54th minute through Lazarus Kambole.
But Kambole hesitated to deal with a fine layoff from Ernest Mbewe in front of an inviting goal as Zambia stuttered to the finish line in disjointed fashion to bow out of CHAN.
Wada must go now, he will never take us any where
Cannot take you anywhere? Where can you go ba zambia naimwe. You are where you rightly belong, same as your humble leader. So just leave Wedson alone!
Thank God that Ngonga was injured, this time his family will not be attacked by the PF cadres.
We need a coach definately.
How many times has Zambia changed coaches and yet the team keeps getting the same result?
We need a coach. some of us have known this for a long time. As for how many times has Zambia bla bla bla? We changed coaches and brought in Renard and we won Afcon. We need a coach with skills, not just anyone who has kicked a ball.
In the first game played so well . In the second game Zambia under performed . This the question we need to answers. SOME PLAYERS became indiscipline and were busy sleeping with the supporters . This fake Pastor too young girls between 16 and 20 years from the learning institutions to go and support the national . I did talk to the girls and most of the were here looking for marriage from the soccer players. Pastor Makembo has never held a general meeting and he has no constitution and no committee only alone. He get money from the government for 40 people and he will only the young’s of about 15
Stop those those malicious rumours and post something factual
What are you rumbling on about? Where were the technical staff when what you are saying was happening? Zambia lost because they were not good, nxa.
I have no words
Poor tactics cost us once again, why break up a stable partnership to offer a debut in a high pressure QF match? Also failed to address deficiency in creative midfield department, “so near yet so far!”
So near? To where? We were so far away from the finals
Ifintu ni Lungu
The biggest challenge is where one can not come out in the open and say I have failed. Best one Chambeshi FWayo Tembo and Isaac Chansa should have been used because of their experience
I AM NOT SURPRISED AT ALL ..WHAT DO YOU EXPECT WHEN YOU HAVE A CLUELESS COACH
WE DID MENTION HERE THAT A BEST GENERAL WILL NOT GO FOR WAR MINUS HIS BEST SOLDIERS…THE ARROGANT, CLUELESS AND INCOMPETENT WADA WADA SHOULD BE FIRED EVEN BEFORE HE REIGNS… THE CHARACTER IS TAKING US ANYWHERE….HOW DO YOU GO FOR CHAN LEAVING THE BEST MIDFIELDER IN THE NAME OF FWAYO AND CLETUS… WE NEED A BETTER, A COACH WHO WILL HAVE NO “IFIFUKWA” WITH PLAYERS.
MY DIAGNOSIS IS :
POOR TEAM SELECTION, FAILURE BY THE COACH TO ADJUST TO BETTER TACTICS AND PLAYING STYLES, INABILITY TO READ THE GAME. OVER AND ABOVE THAT, WADA IS TOO SMALL FOR THE NATIONAL TEAM. WE NEED TO SWALLOW OUR PRIDE AND BRING IN A BETTER COACH.
Tactically we were very poor and the right back of our defence was porous. We need a coach that can read the game and pick right players. How come only players from zanaco, zesco, GBFC and Nkana were being played?
Wada ngafikafye ndi Nokumuponona
Zambians are funny. Instead of preparing well for competitions and selecting the best, you and your coach keep boasting. That’s why you can’t win anything. The same coach came to Nigeria and all he did was to boast from the beginning to the end ‘I am here to disgrace Nigeria’, and we all knew he was a fluke. Also one major problem with theZamian Team is that the players always play to the gallery, lose concentrations at critical moments and runs with the ball without ideas. A good coach should have fixed those problems within a month.
What I know is that deep down in the Zambian Players core, they do not have enough conviction that they are winners. They are quick and aggressive. Once the opponent match them for pace and strength, they become confused. They do not have enough technical ability to steer they way around a difficult opponent who match them for pace and strength.
Chipuba coach. He has issues to sort out with himself, he seems to have too many problems with many players that is why we need a coach who will select prayer by merit putting everything aside. You can not make a team without listening….Mr Coach you don’t know everything that is a national team you are coaching not a club… mwilatusebanya.
You leave behind Sate Sate and you expect to score goals?? i don’t know why Wada hates the Landlord.. These are the results we expected.
Comment:No…fyonse rebalance kale.
Coach must go hes tactically blankrupt, doesn’t know how to plan for a game can not read a game! During Namibia game he should have rested players that were already on yellow cards to reserve them for the knock out stage! But alas he used all of them, and Silwimba became victim! And his absence was there for all to see in yesterday’s game! And he couldn’t even read the Namibia and Sudan games! Surely, the Sudanese are very tall and he couldnt see that high balls into the Sudanese penalty area yielded to nothing, wasted balls! And he imagined our shorter players would head the balls into the opponents net! Big dreamer! And we lacked a lethal striker! Those strikers he took to Chan, where they scoring in the league last year, may be! Leading scorers at their respective clubs? No! So…
Very true. Wada has no strategy. I remember Cameroon losing a group game 5-0 to Russia at one world cup after they had already qualified so this was a dead rubber and time to rest key players. Indeed they won their next knockout game. Let’s get an expatriate unless we don’t want to win
Elo Zambian players please, please, ifya kupanta free kick chigondo fyapwa kale, use inside of your foot to curl the ball right-wise or left-wise, away from the goalkeeper! Foot balls are now very light, just the slightest of force and the ball goes flying away at great speed! So Fackson kapumbu, the current expert dead ball taker in the national team, take note of this!
fwayo , sate sate,cletus, ba coach