The Zambia U17 national team lost their first match against Nigeria at the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday with a 1-0 scoreline but coach Ian Bakala is confident they will bounce back against South Africa.
Favour Daniel put Nigeria ahead in the 76th minute to help his side collect the three points over Zambia.
It was a tough match but the Nigerians were dominant with Zambia only showing signs of scoring in the second half before conceding.
The junior Chipolopolo will need to win their next match to keep their hopes of qualifying for the next round alive when they face South Africa in their next match on Wednesday.
South Africa also lost 2-0 to Morocco and will look to bounce back against Zambia.
Meanwhile, reacting to the result Zambian coach Ian Bakala said it was a painful loss, but a lot of positives have been picked from the match.
“It is painful to lose a game like this, but it was a tough game,” he said during the post-match press conference. “Credit to Nigeria for the win because they used their chance. It was the first game of the tournament and anything is possible.”
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Bakala applauded the players for their good performance, despite making a few mistakes which he hopes to improve.
“There is a lot to do and we will work on the mistakes in training. We will definitely change our story moving forward,” he said. “I am happy with how we have played because physically and tactically, we are in a good place. We looked much better in the second half and hopefully we can carry on that form to our next match.”
