The Chipolopolo Boys defeated the Cranes of Uganda 3-0 at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Patson Daka’s brace, capped by Fashion Sakala’s screaming header, was enough to secure the Chipolopolo Boys an emphatic triumph over the Cranes.
On his debut, Prison Leopards’ Zephaniah Phiri was the star of the show, assisting Sakala and Daka for Zambia’s second and third goals, respectively, while Kings Kangwa won a penalty five minutes into the game, which the Leicester City striker converted to open the scoring.
Zambia controlled the game to maintain their unbeaten streak against Uganda, which dated back to 1992, excluding African Nations Championship encounters.
Avram Grant gave Sweden-based winger Edward Chilufya his first start, while Clatous Chama came on as a second-half substitute and performed admirably.
However, despite the win, Uganda’s interim coach, Morley Ochama, believes the Chipolopolo Boys’ defense is still not strong enough.
“They are a good team; they can possess, they can attack you, they can score but they must be aware of their defensive moments because they are easily penetrated,” he told reporters after the match.
Ochama added. “We had a lot of way-throughs in their defense in the first half; we nearly scored first; we created three to four chances so they need to be aware and work on their defense so that they become successful.”
Grant satisfied with Chipolopolo Boys’ performance against Uganda
On the other hand, Avram Grant has applauded his players.
“I can tell you that I am happy for all of them, he said. “It’s good we need a big squad and for me, it was good to see these players because their job is to give me a headache.
“I am a man of process and I need time to process. My objective is to see the team get stronger and stronger. We want to do everything to win the next game in the World Cup [qualifiers] and, of course, to do well at the Africa Cup despite being in a very tough group.”
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Zambia will now shift focus to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. They will host Congo Brazzaville on November 15, 2023, before traveling to Niger two days later.
