Zambia under-23 striker Fashion Sakala says they are delighted to have accomplished their first leg of their mission in Malawi following Wednesday’s away victory over their hosts in a 2019 U23 AFCON second round first leg qualifier.
Zambia kicked off their 2019 U23 AFCON qualifying race with a 1-0 away win over Malawi in Blantyre.
Sakala scored the game’s lone goal in the 78th minute to hand Zambia the advantage heading into the last leg on March 24 in Lusaka.
“It is a very important goal and I am proud of the team. We really worked hard, we fought hard, it was a very tough game in Malawi but we did what we had planned and it was successful for us,” Sakala said.
Zambia, who entered the competition this month after enjoying a first round bye, need a draw this Sunday at National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka to advance tothe final qualifying round in June.
Winner over both legs will play Burundi or Congo-Brazzaville in June for a spot at this November’s finals in Egypt.
Burundi and Congo drew 0-0 in their first leg match in Bujumbura on Wednesday.
The top three finishers in Egypt will represent Africa at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
No match fixing please
We should aim for the Olympics because we can. This team is solid and the coach is very tactically sound. I was expecting more goals. Well done