Zambia Under-20 National Team head coach Boyd Mulwanda has called on his players to be more clinical in front of the goal ahead of their second Group A match against hosts Egypt at the ongoing U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Junior Chipolopolo opened their campaign with a goalless draw against Sierra Leone last Sunday, who now top the group following a commanding 4-1 win over Egypt.
Zambia will face the Young Pharaohs tomorrow at 20:00, with Egypt under pressure to bounce back from their defeat and stay in contention for the knockout stages.
Sierra Leone currently lead the group, while Egypt remain second despite South Africa’s 1-0 win over Tanzania, which drew them level on three points. Zambia sits fourth with one point, while Tanzania are bottom without a point.
“We are preparing for Egypt. I think everyone is positive, and everyone is putting in his effort to try and get a positive result against Egypt on Saturday,” Mulwanda said.
“When the team is coming from a loss, they’ll try and recover from that loss. So playing against that team, it’s not easy because they know that they’ve lost the game. So, they have to make amends and win the next match. But, looking at the way the boys have been preparing. I think everyone is ready, and they’re going to fight for the team.”
Victory Against Egypt Possible – Mulwanda
Mulwanda expressed optimism that the point earned in the opening match will spur his team to push for a victory against Egypt.
“The point will motivate the boys to go and fight and get a win. We need to win in this tournament. We‘ve checked from the previous edition that we came here. We never won a game. But this one, at least, we have to tell the boys that we have to win a match in this competition,” he said.
Following several missed chances against Sierra Leone, Mulwanda emphasized the importance of converting opportunities.
“We’ve been talking to the boys to be positive and take our chances that we create in a game of this magnitude. It just means one chance. You score, and you defend, and you win the match.”
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