ARROWS FLY LOW
Airmen fail to dislodge Green Buffaloes from top spot
BY MICHAEL MIYOBA
RED Arrows missed a chance to claim leadership of the MTN/FAZ Super League after they were held to a goalless draw by Indeni FC in a rescheduled Week- 17 fixture at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka.
Despite having created nu- merous chances with the li- on’s share of ball possession, Arrows failed to find the back of the net to register their first draw in eight games after sev- en straight wins.
The result did not shock Arrows coach Chisi Mbewe who expressed concerns but noted that he was happy with where his team ended the first round of the Super League.
“We knew that the game was going to be tough, because Indeni are trying to survive relegation. I’m disappoint- ed but not very disappointed because we created a lot of chances. This is a game we could have won with a cricket score line but such happens in football,” Mbewe said.
Asked if James Chamanga’s absence after the striker was excused to mourn his father had a negative impact on the team, Mbewe said; “Not really. If you have seen in most of the games we have played, Cha- manga has been quiet and it has been Ricky Banda getting the goals, it was just not our day today.”
Arrows dominated play from the first whistle and came close to breaking the deadlock in the third minute but were unfortunate as goal keeper Joshua Titima saved Alidor Kaembe’s effort.
Arrows could have been punished 16 minutes into the first half when Indeni captain Graven Chitalu’s low shot was parried away for a corner.
Striker Alasan Diarra could have found the back of the net in the 23rd minute but failed to beat Titima who produced a fine save as the last man to keep Indeni in the game.
In the second half, Arrows continued to outshine their visitors and created numer- ous chances which were not utilised as the game ended 0-0.
The draw propelled Ar- rows to 30 points, on par with league leaders Green Buffa- loes who are ahead because of having a superior goal differ- ence while Indeni maintained 15th position on the league table with 19 points.
At the Edwin Imboela Stadi- um, Kafue Celtics came from a goal down to secure a 1-1 draw with Prison Leopards.
Junior Zulu had given Pris- on Leopards an early lead when he scored just 16 min- utes after kick off.
The Crocs fought back with Peter Chikola grabbing the equaliser five minutes into the second half for the two sides to share the spoils.
The draw pushed Prison Leopards to 12th on the log with 20 points while Celt- ics maintained 14th with 19 points.
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