Zambian wonderkid Joseph Sabobo Banda has started his 2025 on a positive note, scoring for his Swiss club, FC Zurich, in a friendly match today.
Zurich, who are on a training camp in southern Turkey, defeated 18-time Romanian champions Dinamo Bucharest 3-1 at the Kremlin Sports Centre in Antalya, thanks to goals from Lindrit Kamberi, Damienus Reverson, and Sabobo.
Sabobo, who came on as a second-half substitute, was set up by Jahnoah Markelo, who won the ball at the halfway line and passed it to him to score the final 3-1 with a well-placed shot from 18 meters into the bottom left corner of the net.
The 19-year-old has had less game time for Zurich since his debut this season, despite being one of the outstanding players for the Zambia national team in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, where he helped the team qualify.
On his Swiss Super League debut on August 11, 2023, he scored his first goal for Zurich by coming on as a second-half substitute in the 67th minute, making it 2-0 against Lausanne. The former Nkwazi FC player has played just five games this season, scoring one goal, which resumes on January 19, 2025.
Following the festive season break, Sabobo hopes that his goal today will convince coach Ricardo Moniz to give him more playing time in the Swiss Super League.
The club will play three more friendly games in Turkey, with the next one taking place tomorrow, Thursday, against FC Schalke 04.
