A dominant first half by Zambia’s Red Arrows FC amounted to nothing on Saturday afternoon at the Levy Mwanawansa stadium in Ndola when they suffered a 2-0 defeat in the second preliminary round of the 2024-25 CAF Champions League.
Arrows had a great start to the first half, creating several chances, one of which saw Godfrey Ngwenya totally beat the goalkeeper and miss twice at the goalmouth.
The Airmen were in control of the first half but failed to make their chances count, ending the match 0-0 at the break.
After the game resumed for the second half, Chisi Mbewe’s side picked up where they left off. Nineteen minutes in, Ricky Banda scored a goal after striking a rebound off the Mazembe goalkeeper, but the referee called a foul.
Mazembe responded two minutes later with a strike from the left wing by Oscar Kabwit, whose ground kick beat Charlse Kalumba to give the Ravens the lead.
The Congolese team gained momentum after that goal, and in the 72nd minute, it appeared that they had discovered the simplest way to beat Kalumba, who had made brilliant saves in the first half. Mercil Ngimbi extended the visitors’ lead with a long-range shot that caught the Arrows keeper off guard due to a lack of concentration among his defenders.
There was little Arrows could do in the final 18 minutes to get back into the game, as Mazembe’s two goals were enough to secure a crucial away victory.
Mbewe’s side now faces an uphill battle in the second leg, which takes place next Saturday in Lumbumbashi.
The winner of the tie will advance to the group stage of the competition and receive USD 700,000 from CAF.
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