Nicholas Phiri, Trident Queens FC, head coach has criticized his defense for conceding avoidable goals in their 4-0 defeat to Indeni Roses FC in the ZPL Women’s Super Division Northern Zone on Wednesday.

The defeat at Indeni Sports Complex in Ndola saw Trident Queens surrender top spot, dropping to third place on six points, while Indeni Roses moved to the summit with seven points.

Zesco Ndola Girls also have six points after securing a 1-0 victory over Nchanga Rangers Queens FC.

Zulu noted defensive lapses, particularly in the closing stages of the opening period.

“We dominated in the first half. In the last minutes, they allowed a goal, and again, going to the break, in the last minute, they allowed another goal,” Zulu said.

“A silly goal. It is just concentration; my defense went to sleep.”

The coach admitted that his players failed to meet expectations, pointing to poor defensive organization and a failure to track opponents into dangerous spaces.

“It’s a must-win” – Zulu.

“Today (Wednesday) my girls didn’t come to the party, and we didn’t expect those lapses in the defense. They capitalized on those because our defense was not good. Our defenders were not tracking the spaces,” he said.

Zulu, however, urged his team to put the defeat behind them and focus on their next assignment against Kansanshi Dynamos Queens FC, which he described as a must-win encounter.

“It’s a must-win. We need to win so that we compete,” he said of the local derby.

He added that the transitional league’s short format leaves little room for dropped points, making a strong response essential as Trident Queens seek to return to the top of the standings.

“It is a short transition, and we need to push because we have dropped three points away, and we needed a victory or a draw. But that is football,” Zulu said.

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