Green Eagles coach Aggrey Chiyangi has praised his charges for defying the myth that a Zambian team now cannot achieve relative success in continental competition without imports.
In an era when Zambian clubs are aggressively looking abroad for foreign talent to be competitive with an eye on domestic and continental success, Eagles , who have an all -Zambian policy because they are a Defence Force Club, has still managed to set some milestones in their still very brief African adventure.
This is despite exiting the 2019/2020 CAF Champions League in their first appearance in the competition a season after making their continental debut in the 2018/2019CAF Confederation Cup where they reached the second stage.
This season, Eagles became the first Zambian club to eliminate Orlando Pirates of South Africa from continental competition after Mufulira Wanderers and Zanaco both fell to the 1995 African champions
Eagles also became the first Zambia club to win away in Luanda after overturning home loss against an Angolan opponent.
Last Sunday, Eagles won 1-0 away at Premiero de Agosto but unfortunately bowed out of the competition on away goals rule after the tie finished 2-2 on aggregate.
“The Eagles players have done me proud. Not only me but even the nation as a whole,” Chiyangi said.
“If you look at Green Eagles; All locals players. We don’t have foreign players. So coming here to (to Angola) win against a team that has enjoyed Champions League experience for so many years, it is a plus for the team.
“We just have to encourage the team to play in the Confederation Cup with the same spirit.”
Meanwhile, Eagles may have made a CAF Champions League exit but are not out of continental competition yet following their demotion to the CAF Confederation Cup pre-group stage.
Eagles will on October 9 know who their CAF Confederation Cup pre-group stage opponents are when the draws are made in Cairo.
