Zambia’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup suffered a huge blow after a 1-0 home defeat to Tanzania.
The Copper Bullets’ efforts to salvage a positive result proved futile, as they couldn’t breach the Taifa Stars’ defense.
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BolaNews assesses the Chipolopolo Boys’ performance in their narrow defeat to Tanzania at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium on Tuesday.
GOALKEEPER
Lawrence Mulenga (5/10): That’s now 12 consecutive matches for the Chipolopolo number one without keeping a cleansheet.
DEFENDERS
Gift Mphande (6/10): After a quiet first half against the Taifa Stars, the Israeli-based defender provided several dangerous crosses in the second half.
Frankie Musonda (6/10): The centre-back was very adventurous at the Levy Mwanawasa, often venturing forward to contribute to the attack.
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Stopilla Sunzu (6/10): Tanzania’s attack kept Sunzu busy. The 2012 AfCON winner eventually exited the game after pulling his hamstring.
Lubambo Musonda (6/10): Another outing in which the skipper had to cover a lot of ground as he raced the wing to contribute to both attack and defense.
MIDFIELDERS
Miguel Chaiwa (8/10): If other Copper Bullet stars had shown the same level of intensity and urgency as Chaiwa, Zambia could have nicked a positive result. What a joy to watch. He gave the fans something to smile about.
Emmanuel Banda (3/10): For the second time in the space of four days, Banda was guilty of giving away the pass that led to the winning goal of the match.
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Kings Kangwa (6/10): From winning fouls to making darting runs and sharp turns, Kangwa was more influential in the match than his previous outing.
FORWARDS
Edward Chilufya (5/10): Chilufya did not get enough of the ball to test his opposing fullbacks or influence the match.
Evans Kangwa (6/10): The forward was Zambia’s main avenue of getting the ball into the attack. He had a number of openings to grab an assist but was unfortunate not to.
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Patson Daka (4/10): Daka did not wear his finishing boots against the Taifa Stars as a number of good chances went begging. Four headers, which were easier to score than to miss, went wide.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Kelvin Kampamba (6/10): Kampamba’s introduction lifted the spirits of the Chipolopolo as they tried to force an equalizer. He hit the crossbar once from a freekick.
Kennedy Musonda (5/10): The Tanzanian-based attacker could only make an appearance off the bench against the Taifa Stars. Made some runs but it was too late.
Obinno Chisala and Kingstone Mutandwa (N/A): In a last-ditch effort to level the game, Grant decided to bring on fresh legs late in the match.
COACH:
Avram Grant(6/10): Back to the drawing board for Grant and his technical bench as the Chipolopolo Boys failed to get a result despite making some changes.
READ MORE: Tanzania dims Zambia’s World Cup dream, Grant reacts to resignation calls
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