Despite a disappointing 2-0 loss to Gabonese side FC 105 Libreville in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round on Saturday, ZESCO United Assistant coach Emmanuel Siwale remains confident his team can overturn the deficit at home.
Speaking after the match, Siwale admitted the defeat was unexpected but insisted the tie is far from over.
“Well, this is a very bad result. We did not expect to go down like we did, but football can be cruel sometimes,” Siwale said. “We missed chances that could have put us three goals up in the first half. At this level, if you miss chances, you get punished.”
The assistant coach explained that going into the match, they had little knowledge of how FC 105 Libreville plays, but now have valuable insight ahead of the second leg.
“I could have researched more, but having watched them now, we know what they do and what they might try at home. It’s just a matter of preparing well and working on the mental aspect. ZESCO has to qualify—everyone in the dressing room knows what’s at stake.”
Siwale added that the second half of the tie will be played in front of ZESCO’s passionate home fans, which he believes could be decisive.
“If they can score two here, nothing denies us from scoring two or even more at home. Our fans will give us that 12th-man support. We need them more than ever to help us qualify.”
ZESCO United will now turn their focus to the return leg in Ndola, where they must score at least three without reply to advance to the next round.
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