Indeni Roses FC head coach Rex Chanda has indicated he will make changes to his squad following a 2-0 defeat to Green Eagles FC in a Week 31 ZPL National League fixture played at NASDEC Sports Complex on Wednesday.
The result leaves the Ndola-based side on 68 points, five behind log leaders ZESCO Ndola Girls FC, while Green Buffaloes Women FC occupy second place with 71 points.
Speaking after the match, Chanda conceded that his team was second best on the day and struggled to create meaningful chances.
“Congratulations to Green Eagles—they deserved to win this game,” Chanda said. “If you look at our performance, we only had two shots on goal in the entire 90 minutes. That shows that if you don’t create chances, you can’t win.”
The Indeni Roses coach admitted his side failed to maintain the momentum they had built in recent matches, describing the performance as below par.
“We did not play well today. The Eagles did better and deserved the result,” he said.
Chanda also pointed to defensive lapses and a lack of composure at the back as key factors in the defeat.
“It’s a wake up call” – Chanda.
“Our defence started on a sluggish note, and there was a lot of panic, which led to conceding. Even the goal we allowed came from a long shot after failing to deal with the situation properly,” he explained.
He further noted that the team’s goalkeeping performance fell short of expectations, suggesting that the player had struggled after returning from a spell out of action.
“Our goalkeeper hasn’t been in action for some time, and this was an opportunity we gave her, but she did not perform as expected,” he said.
Despite the setback, Chanda described the defeat as a “wake-up call” and warned that changes to the squad are inevitable as the team looks to stay competitive in the title race.
“This is football—today you are on top; tomorrow you are not. There was also an element of underrating the opponent,” he said.
“It’s a wake-up call. We have no option but to make some adjustments to the team. The players who remain must continue working hard in training because we need to improve.”
With Green Buffaloes reportedly stripped for using an ineligible player in the match against ZISD FC earlier in the season, Indeni Roses will now look to close the gap at the top in the remaining fixtures of the season.
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