While Zambia’s head coach Avram Grant attributed the 5-0 loss against Russia to insufficient training and the absence of several key players, his Russian counterpart Valery Karpin noted that the Chipolopolo boys had good and strong players but lacked a good defence.
Russia thrashed Zambia 5-0 in Moscow on Tuesday in an international friendly match, with the Chipolopolo missing several key players, including Patson Daka, Lameck Banda, Frankie Musonda, Stopilla Sunzu, captain Lubambo Musonda, and Kelvin Kampamba, among others.
Maksim Glushenkov opened the scoring early, capitalizing on a defensive lapse. Despite a few promising runs from Joseph Sabobo Banda, Zambia failed to register a shot on target in the first half, which ended 2-0 after Ilia Vakhania extended the lead two minutes before the break.
The second half saw Russia dominate more, with Glushenkov completing a hat-trick, scoring twice more in quick succession. Substitute Aleksey Batrakov added a fifth goal after yet another defensive mistake by Zambia.
The defeat marked another tough outing for Zambia, who haven’t won against a non-African team since 2011, when they beat India 5-0.
Karpin notes Chipolopolo’s problems
Before Tuesday’s match, Karpin compared Zambia to Cameroon and stood by his statement when asked if the Chipolopolo were on par with the Indomitable Lions, one of Africa’s most successful national teams.
“Definitely not disappointed. What I said before the game, the game confirmed. The fact that Zambia did not show its potential is the fault of our players,” Karpin told a post-match press conference.
He also told the Russian media not to belittle the victory over Zambia, saying, “There is no need to belittle the victory and say that this is a team of Grenada’s level. Good players, individually strong. There were probably problems in defence; we were able to take advantage of them. I am completely satisfied, pleased, thanked the guys; everything is fine.”
Zambia’s next match is in September when they host Morocco for their fifth game in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
With only three matches left, Zambia must win all of them to have a chance at a playoff spot in Group E, as they can no longer top the group. Group leaders Morocco moved to 15 points after their 2-0 win over Tanzania last night.
Zambia is currently fourth in the group with just three points from four games, behind third-placed Tanzania and second-placed Niger, both with six points.
