South Africa ran riot on Saturday against Zambia, thrashing the Chipolopolo Boys 3-1 in an international friendly match.
Bafana Bafana dominated the match from the start, but Zambia maintained their shape well until two minutes before the break when Sipho Mbule set up Oswin Appollis to open the scoreline, ending the first half 1-0 with Chipolopolo failing to register a single shot on target.
In the second stanza, Hugo Broos made several changes. Zambia appeared to be more direct, with Fashion Sakala missing a sitter ten minutes after the restart, but it was not enough.
Mbule was at it again when he excellently took advantage of the Zambian porous midfield to set up Mohau Nkota, who beat the Zambian defenders and struck from outside the penalty box into the bottom left corner in the 62nd minute, giving Toaster Nsabata no chance of stopping the ball from finding the back of the net.
The Chipolopolo were completely unsettled after the second goal and chased the ball throughout. Bafana Bafana were not done yet, extending their lead to 3-0 through Sphephelo Sithole in the 68th minute after receiving the ball from Mbule, who completed a hat-trick of assists.
Mutapa’s subs and Chipolopolo debutants
Zambia’s assistant coach Perry Mutapa, who was in charge of the Chipolopolo due to the absence of head coach Moses Sichone—who was sidelined before the match due to suspected food poisoning—made some late changes, handing Austria-based striker Jack Lahne his debut as well as Leganes’s David Hamansenya.
Youngsters Gift Siame and FC Muza’s Given Kalusa started the match on their debut.
Siame was subbed off for David Simukonda, Obino Chisala for Hamansenya, Kalusa for Frankie Musonda, and Miguel Chaiwa for Kennedy Musonda. Patson Daka for Lahne, while Lubambo Musonda was replaced by Joseph Sabobo Banda.
Following the changes, Sabobo Banda scored the consolation goal in the 93rd minute after an excellent pass from another substitute, Simukonda.
It was Sabobo’s first goal for the senior national team after nine appearances at the age of 19.
What the coaches said
“I think we lost the game at a critical moment in the first half when we conceded the first goal,” Mutapa said after the match. “We came here with a plan. I think we lost the game going to halftime; you don’t concede a goal like that. So coming into the second half, you could see we changed the tactics and we came in with force. We did some combination plays which could have resulted in goals, with Fashion Sakala missing a sitter. But, I think, again, when we just stabilised, we were hit with a sucker punch …. And I think it killed the morale of the boys. However, overall, by trying new combinations, I think we are happy and playing well as a team, like South Africa.”
Mutapa said there were some positives for the Chipolopolo in the game.
“The positives, it’s the new boys who have just played their first games for Zambia. You could see the youngsters in the midfield. They did their best, and that’s the positive for Zambia. New combinations and new boys playing their first game. Not an easy game playing with experienced players like Mokwena, who played his 50th game today but together in the midfield, maybe over 100 games. And playing with boys who have just played their first game. So for us, it’s a win situation in terms of the boys we have introduced in the national team because they did themselves well in the game.”
For South Africa’s Hugo Broos, his team didn’t play its best game despite the win.
“I think we didn’t play our best game today,” Broos said. “But there were good moments and it was the moments we did what we had to do….. The forwards running, the forwards passing. That makes us dangerous and that’s also where we scored.”
Both Zambia and South Africa used the match as part of their preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which kicks off on December 21 in Morocco.
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