Zambia suffered a 2-0 defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday evening at the Pinatar Football Centre in Murcia, Spain, in a friendly match ahead of their Group A campaign at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Moses Sichone entrusted several young players, including David Hamasenya and Mathews Banda as wingbacks, while Zesco United’s budding winger Pascal Phiri featured alongside his clubmate David Simukonda in midfield with Kings Kangwa. Patson Daka and new captain Fashion Sakala led the attack.
The Chipolopolo put up a strong first half, dominating possession but proving wasteful in front of goal. Arthur Masuaku’s long-range strike found the back of the net in the 23rd minute when Lawrence Mulenga failed to stop it, as it slipped cheaply past his fingers to give DR Congo a 1-0 lead.
Daka, Sakala, and Kings Kangwa all had chances to equalise for Zambia but failed to hit the target. Power Dynamos’ midfielder Owen Tembo’s effort struck the woodwork.
In the second half, Congo took control and extended their lead late on. In the 72nd minute, Rocky Bushiri headed home from close range following a corner kick, catching the Zambian defenders ball-watching and unalert.
Sichone reflects on positives despite loss
Reacting after the match, Sichone said he was pleased with the team’s performance despite the result, acknowledging that individual mistakes cost them while also lamenting the missed chances.
“First and foremost, I want to congratulate the players despite the result. But what I saw was a team that really wanted to win the game. We played according to our plans, and of course, we were supposed to score before Congo scored,” Sichone said. “Mistakes are there to be made by the players, so we cannot change the fact that the mistake was made. But I’m happy also, after the mistake, the boys didn’t show disappointment at what happened.
“This is football, and this is something that I even told the team at halftime that we should continue pushing. And also, I saw a team that created the chances. It was unfortunate we did not utilise those chances that we created.”
Sichone was also impressed with the young players who started against a very experienced Congolese side. “They did well. Like if I talk of David Simkonda, also Matthews Banda, David Yamasenya, these are young players that we are trying to build. They were in some areas making those mistakes, but that’s why we are there as coaches, to try and encourage them and show them where the mistakes they were making were. But all in all, I’m happy about how they performed.”
The Chipolopolo Boys will open their AFCON campaign against Mali on Monday, December 22, in Casablanca. Their group also includes hosts Morocco and Comoros, who will play the opening match on Sunday.
Meanwhile, they will wind up their week-long Spanish camp and head to their tournament base on Friday. This follows the cancellation of Thursday’s friendly against the Ivory Coast.
Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) General Secretary Machacha Shapande confirmed the development on Wednesday morning. He said the decision was made to give the players enough time to recover after playing Congo.
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