Chipolopolo Boys’ 2024 COSAFA Cup campaign came to an end on Sunday as they lost 2-0 to their bitter rivals, Zimbabwe.
BolaNews assesses the Copper Bullets’ performance in their match against the Warriors.
Goalkeepers
Charles Kalumba (5/10): He was unable to keep a clean sheet for the second consecutive game.
Defenders
Matthews Banda (6/10): The youngster worked his socks off against Zimbabwe, occasionally venturing forward to overlap in attack.
Chitoshi Chinga (4/10): After making a costly mistake in the first game against Kenya, he was off the field with an injury against Zimbabwe.
Kilian Kanguluma (2/10): The Chipolopolo Boys always find a way of shooting themselves in the foot. Kanguluma was dismissed from the game against the Warriors after earning two yellow cards.
Zachariah Chilongoshi (5/10): Zimbabwe’s flamboyant winger, Michael Tapera, made life very difficult for the NAPSA Stars FC fullback on Sunday.
Midfielders
Owen Tembo (7/10): He did well to connect the defense and attack in the 30 minutes he was on the pitch.
David Simukonda (6/10): The FAZ Young Player of the Year was substituted early to make way for attackers.
Dickson Chapa (6/10): The skipper played the role of a make-shift centre back after Zambia suffered a numerical deficit.
Attackers
Albert Kangwanda (6/10): He was not electric as the 2023 COSAFA, when he finished as a top scorer with three goals.
Abraham Siankombo (6/10): The ZESCO United man got a starting berth against the Warriors, but it only lasted 45 minutes.
Andrew Phiri (5/10): He did not emulate the form that saw him bag the season’s FAZ Fans’ Player of the Year.
Substitutes
Mathews Chabala (6/10): The centre-back came in for the injured Chitoshi Chinga in the 27th minute.
Owen Mwamba (7/10): The backline looked less frantic following the introduction of the Mufulira Wanderers defender, who brought some stability.
Ricky Banda (6/10): After coming on at halftime, the striker spent more time chasing the ball than playing it.
Fredrick Mulambia and Austin Muwowo (5/10): The Power Dynamos FC duo did not offer enough against Zimbabwe.
Coach
Chisi Mbewe (5/10): Zambia’s performance only went from bad to worse despite Mbewe making six changes to the starting line-up.
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