The Chipolopolo indeed looked like a team getting their first taste of African Cup of Nations football in nine years. Eight of the players that started the match were debutants at the tournamnet.
However, Patson Daka and Kings Kangwa produced a moment of brilliance when the Leicester City man’s throw-in was met by a sumptuous strike into an empty net. Zambia’s lead, however, did not last long when a failed offside trap resulted in a Yoane Wissa goal.
Following the break, D.R. Congo thought they had won a penalty when the referee deemed Tandi Mwape to have handled the ball before V.A.R. came to the Chipolopolo’s rescue.
Three-quarters into the proceeding, Avram Grant decided to turn to his trump card, US Lecce trickster Lameck Banda. Ultimately, the Chipolopolo gained a valuable point in their opening match courtesy of some vital defending as they drew 1-1 at the Laurent Poukou Stadium.
GOALKEEPER
Lawrence Mulenga (9/10): With Congolese attackers probing from all angles, the Power Dynamos FC shot-stopper was the most clutch player in Zambia’s opening match. He made four crucial saves and five ball distributions to keep Zambia in the game.
DEFENDERS
Tandi Mwape (5/10): Despite being starved for minutes at club level in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mwape was an industrious figure from start to finish.
Frankie Musonda (7/10): The remote controller did much more of the dirty work than the unleashing of the ball into the final third.
Stopilla Sunzu(8/10): The result could have been less positive for the Chipolopolo but thanks to the 2012 African Cup of Nations winner’s defensive interventions. He rescued the team several times, including a goalline clearance.
Rodrick Kabwe (5/10): Tasked with the job of marking Brentford FC’s Yoane Wissa, the Iraqi-based left-back covered a lot of ground.
MIDFIELDERS
Kelvin Kapumbu (7/10): The midfielder spent much of his 2023 AFCON debut tracking D.R. Congo’s explosive playmakers. He silently did the dirty work for Zambia in his defensive midfield role.
Emmanuel Banda (5/10): Banda did not enjoy his best game against the Leopards of Congo.
Kings Kangwa (7/10): The midfielder pounced on the D.R. Congo’s abysmal defence to give the Chipolopolo a lead against the run of play.
FORWARDS
Lubambo Musonda (5/10): The captain struggled to emulate the attacking flair of Italian-based winger Lameck Banda before being chucked off at 75 minutes.
Fashion Sakala (6/10): The forward was heavily marked in Zambia’s opening match and could offer little in attack.
Patson Daka (7/10): With the opposition goalkeeper in no man’s land, Daka fashioned a clever throw-in to set up Kings Kangwa’s opener. He didn’t do much attacking but like everyone else, he dropped deep mostly to defend.
SUBSTITUTES
Lameck Banda (6/10): To Zambia’s dismay, the winger couldn’t pull out his magic wand but worked his socks off to seal the result.
Larry Bwalya (N/A): The holding midfielder came on to add some minutes to his tank.
COACH (7/10):
Avram Grant: It was not the most lavish performance against DR Congo, but the Chipolopolo got much-needed exposure and results. It looked like the gaffer wanted a draw from the start, which is why he was hesitant to make substitutions.
