Zambia amassed vital three points but….

Wed, 24 May 2017 12:37:52 +0000

Dear Editor,

The Under 20 Zambia national team amassed the vital three points by beating the highly rated, Portugal 2-1 at the ongoing South Korea FIFA Under 20 World Cup football tournament.

 The Under 20 Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) champions played their first game of Group C against Portugal on Sunday May 21, 2017.

The Junior Chipolopolo Boys’ performance was sluggish in the first stanza or first half the game.

Their opponents wasted a myriad of scoring opportunities. In the first half, Portugal the two times Under 20 World Cup champions was in command of the game.

However, the tempo of the game for the Junior Chipolopolo Boys changed as they were in control, piling pressure and looking for goals.

It was in the 50th minute of play that Zambia drew first blood through Edward Chilufya, making it 1-0. Few minutes later, the fashionable Fashion Sakala dribbled the Portuguese defenders and scored a brilliant goal. Hence, increasing the tally by making it 2-0 for Zambia.

Portugal scored the face saver towards the end of the match. The game ended 2-1 in favour of Zambia. In another Group C match, Iran edged Costa Rica 1-0.

The results for Group C matches have seen Zambia leading with 3 points at par with Iran. The former has a superior goal difference thereby putting the latter in second position.

 It is good that Zambia amassed the vital three points, but the team should improve on some mistakes committed during the first game of the tournament. The Beston Quicksilver Chambeshi tutored side should forget about the win against Portugal and focus on their next opponents.

The next fixture is against Iran on Wednesday May 24, 2017. This game should be taken seriously and it is a must to win. The win will book the Junior Chipolopolo Boys a place in the group stage of the tournament.

The African champions will wrap the first round fixture against Costa Rica on Thursday June 1, 2017.

 The Beston Chambeshi technical bench should do their best to prepare the team adequately to ensure that it collects positive results.

 Go Zambia and conquer the world. Through hard work, discipline and focus you can win the coveted trophy. Ultimately, this will make us proud.

 ELEMIYA PHIRI, Lusaka