Zambia’s group F opener against D.R Congo last evening has drawn criticism from some local soccer fans.
A soccer fan of Matero, Mwaba Mbonsheye says it was disappointing to see Zambia being outplayed by D.R Congo in all fronts.
Mbonsheye says except for defender Stoppila Sunzu who put in his level best in the game, the rest of the players were mere passengers.
“ Vamene bana chaya game mailo sivinanisekeseko nangu pangono.” (The way Chipolopolo played last evening was not pleasing at all),” he said.
However, Chibulu Musonda, a soccer analyst said while Chipolopolo played poorly, let the country take a point and build on it.
Musonda, on his Face Book page says just one match, others already criticising the performance of the lads.
He also says the country should not forget that Grant qualified, “us to the Africa Cup after failing not once but three times.”
“In case some have forgotten this is the highest level in national team football on the continent with some of the best players on earth. “Am sure you all see what Yoane Wissa ( DR. Congo lead Striker) does for Brentford in the English Premier League week in and out.
Musonda reasoned that the Chipolopolo lacked real quality on the ball.
But, another Lusaka based soccer analyst Alfred Banda says the Grant tutored side should change their attitude to the game if they are to go beyond preliminaries.
Banda says the Chipolopolo would have lost last night’s group opener had it not been for experienced defender Sunzu who made notable clearances several times for Zambia last evening.
He advised the coach and the entire technical bench to ensure players should not only play for their personal stardom but for the country saying the AFCON finals requires seriousness and self-discipline on and off the pitch.
Banda says AFCON tournaments are not for personalities or popularities to win but teamwork and sacrifice.
He adds that the current Chipolopolo must learn from team work exhibited by the AFCON champions of 2012 who emerged winners against star studded sides like Egypt, Cameroon and Ivory Coast, then.
Banda adds that the poor display by the Chipolopolo in their first encounter at the AFCON 2024 should not be allowed to continue saying if they continue with the style of play like the one exhibited last evening, the national team will not go beyond the group stage.
In their group F opener, Zambia held D.R Congo one all while Morocco beat Tanzania 3-0 to lead the table.
In the next match on Sunday, Zambia will play against Tanzania, a game optimists say is a must win for the Chipolopolo to secure a place in the next round.
Criticise the f00lish incompetent government for this poor performance..how can team perform when country is full of cholera and other economic challenges. Gaza life is better than zambia under upnd
Instead of praising Zaire for putting a fantastic performance at tournament, you busy criticize an organized Zambian team.
Zaire has raised bar at AFCON, that’s what we call football. Hoo sorry you TikTok call it DRC.
The manner in which Kaizar was rimming Hilbert Ndhlovu from Masaiti is one for the record books. Intelligence has some well placed source in the KZ household who informs that Kaiza and wife had separated after her discovery of flirtatious texts between KZ and several men.
Kalya nyoko, Chipuba refused to support the team, they were forced to fly around in obsolete aircraft donated from the 2nd world war, and they all died. Chipuba gave away the mines, and with them went the main system that was used to develop Zambian football. Without that system, Zambians are ordinary, and struggle against teams like Namibia and Comoros, that they used to beat 6-0 with ease. You destroyed the country, and you cry to HH to save you. The only thing that is going to happen is that you are going to be found, and you are going to be imprisoned in Mwembeshi or Chimbokaila, where you will suffer repeated sexual abuse at the hands of long term kailis there.
@Kaizar Zulu
You chi colour too much
Our boys should avoid to much excitements. That ball you scored shows that you can see and use your head.
Be composed and avoid to much dribbling but in the eighteen area, you can dribble to attract dead ball situations. overall, it is good to play as a team, but individual brilliance can not be avoided more especially when you score and win, then you are a star.
DRC Congo can easily be top of the group going by last night’s performance
Did people expect our team to outplay DRC? Come on! Let’s be realistic, DRC is a very strong team. I thought our team tried their best. People should not expect wonders from the team after 3 of absence. Good luck to our team.
After all the hype what a disappointment. If this performance is an indicator them we are not going very far in this tournament.
What an insipid performance! If I were a gun and shot those kind of limp bullets I would bend my barrell down in shame. Perhaps we should just be happy with the fact that the whole of COSAFA is at these finals except for Malawi Botswana and Madagascar. Namibia look like they will win their first afcon.
In Zambia people who watch football seem to have more ideas and tactics on how to win matches than the technical bench. Recently, quite a good number hinted that Avram should have retired Sunzu but after yesterday’s game, Sunzu is now a darling. Don’t try to be an expert on things you don’t understand. Don’t analyze games with a betting ticket in your hands.
To be fair, I would worry more about the inability to shoot straight for the DRC. Zambia was probably in shock because they are not used to that type of weather but DRC have that climate in their backyard. Those guys would have missed even without a goal keeper. We just need to dust ourselves and change gear in the next game.
On the other hand, Chibulu Musonda, a respected soccer analyst, offered a more measured perspective. Despite acknowledging Chipolopolo’s poor performance, he urged the country to recognize the value of securing a point and to use it as a foundation for improvement. Musonda emphasized the significance of context, reminding critics that the journey to qualification for the Africa Cup had been challenging, and that the tournament features some of the best players in the world. He also highlighted the caliber of players like Yoane Wissa, underlining the level of competition that Zambia is facing.
Coaches also contribute for this poorly performance interms of late substitute for mother zambia
DRC played as though they were on drugs!!
Zambia featured Zambians. Zaire featured Europeans, and they still did not win. I suspect that no one the Zairian team can speak an Africa language. Unfortunately, the entire AFCON thing has become a joke. Those badly managed countries in the West and North, whose citizens walked barefoot across the Sahara, and swam past the sharks in the Mediterranean, to acquire asylum in Europe, have given children there who have been trained on European professional teams and in football academies. These people are now being summoned to play for the poverty stricken countries of their fathers, and are dismantling richer countries with ease. Mali just dispatched South Africa; Senegal is walking through people; How many people on those teams were born in Africa?
Zambia featured Zambians. Zaire featured Europeans, and they still did not win. I suspect that no one the Zairian team can speak an Africa language. Unfortunately, the entire AFCON thing has become a joke. Those badly managed countries in the West and North, whose citizens walked barefoot across the Sahara, and swam past the sharks in the Mediterranean, to acquire asylum in Europe, have borne children over there, who have been trained on European professional teams and in football academies. These people are now being summoned to play for the poverty stricken countries of their fathers, and are dismantling richer countries with ease. Mali just dispatched South Africa; Senegal is walking through people; How many people on those teams were born in Africa?
When Cameroonian teams featuring Cameroonians like Benjamin Massing would played Zambia in the 1980s, the size disparity would be like men vs boys. Cameroun played Senegal yesterday, and the Cameroonians looked tinyin comparison. The disparity is due to the fact Senegal is made of Europeans, as in people born and raised in Europe. These people are better fed, and they are are bigger. In the match, the Europeans toyed with Africans, and the 2-0 scored was not indicative of the dominance of Senegal. The methods that Cameroun incepted 40 years ago, of letting Europe leagues develop local Cameroonian players have come back to haunt Cameroun, as other West African countries are summoning the offspring born in Europe to distort the landscape of football in Africa.
Zambia did well to get a point. Sometimes you need luck, and we rode ours. DRC is a very good team but like every other time most likely very undisciplined, and most likely they will not go far.