Zambia’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign suffered another setback with their second consecutive defeat, this time against Morocco. The Copper Bullets suffered a 2-1 loss against the Atlas Lions on Friday at the Agadir Stadium in Agadir.
BolaNews evaluates the performances of Zambia’s national team players in their narrow loss to Morocco.
GOALKEEPER
Lawrence Mulenga (6/10): The Power Dynamos keeper correctly predicted where Hakim Ziyech would direct his spot kick but couldn’t provide a big hand to deny the Moroccan.
DEFENDERS
Gift Mphande (7/10): Mphande, 20, was decent in his role as a right-wing back, often venturing forward to deliver some dangerous crosses.
Tandi Mwape (5/10): The ZESCO United man lined up on the right side of a three-man defense, where he faced the challenge of marking the 19-year-old sensation Eliesse Ben Segir.
Stopilla Sunzu (6/10): Sunzu nearly fashioned an equalizer at the death when his towering header whistled over the crossbar.
Frankie Musonda (6/10): The Scotland-based center-back appeared to struggle with the pace and rapid passing combinations of Morocco’s front line. He, however, made a goal-denying clearance in the second half.
Lubambo Musonda (7/10): Musonda went toe-to-toe with Hakim Ziyech in the first half. The Atlas Lions winger was prematurely substituted off to give the Zambian skipper something different to think about.
MIDFIELDERS
Miguel Chaiwa (7/10): Chaiwa was impressive in the middle of the park, protecting his backline with a combative display.
Emmanuel Banda (5/10): A couple of clumsy and inaccurate passes from the midfielder led to a number of turnovers in possession. The playmaker was guilty of giving away the pass that led to Morocco’s second goal.
Kings Kangwa (5/10): The midfielder should have offered more support to Patson Daka and Kelvin Kampamba in attack. Too many tired tackles from Kangwa against Morocco as well.
FORWARDS
Kelvin Kampamba (7/10): Kampamba was the most outstanding performer for the visitors in the first half of his first start under Avram Grant. However, his performance levels dropped in the second half.
Patson Daka (6/10): The biggest chance of the match fell to the Leicester City FC striker, but he couldn’t convert the free header from point blank range.
SUBSTITUTES
Edward Chilufya (8/10): In the absence of Fashion Sakala and Lameck Banda, you would expect Edward Chilufya to start, but he didn’t. The winger, however, made instant impact on the game when he came off the bench to give Zambia a lifeline.
Evans Kangwa and Kennedy Musonda (N/A): The striker duo entered the match so late that they couldn’t make a meaningful impact.
COACH
Avram Grant (5/10): Grant will be impressed with the fact that the Copper Bullets’ performance improved as the match progressed. However, he will come under fire yet again for delayed substitutions. The only substitution he made before the 85th-minute mark proved to be a fruitful one.
READ ALSO: Benjamin explains why Namibia has slim chances to reach 2026 World Cup.
