Following his return from a right knee injury that led to surgery, Italy-based Zambian winger Lameck Banda was sidelined for two months, missing the remainder of the Serie A season as well as Chipolopolo’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Tanzania and Morocco.
The US Lecce winger resumed full training last month and even played 16 minutes in a pre-season friendly against Galatasaray.
On Monday, Lecce began their Copa Italia campaign against Mantova with Banda making his first competitive appearance since last season.
The former 23-year-old played the final 30 minutes and provided an assist for his team’s winning goal. He also completed the most dribbles (3) of the match which ended 2-1.
Banda created four chances and completed eight of his ten passes accurately.
In an interview with BolaNews before Monday’s game, Banda stated that he intends to score a lot of goals this season.
“I am looking forward to improving on my last season performance and score more goals,” he said confidently.
Last season, Banda appeared in 23 games across all competitions, scoring two goals and providing five assists.
He is also expected to be named to the Chipolopolo squad that will face reigning African champions Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone in the 2025 Morocco Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers next month.
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