Napsa Stars head coach Sipho Mumbi was left dejected as his team failed to secure all three points in their away Week nine fixture against struggling, Indeni Football Club.
Evans Kayombo scored in the opening minute, at Ndola’s Levy Mwanawasa, only for Indeni’s Thomas Daka to equalize for the host in the 21st minute, resulting in a 1-1 draw.
Speaking in a post-match interview, Mumbi blamed his players for inconsistency, despite his repeated emphasis on the importance of focus.
“Very bad draw for us today. I felt like today we could have picked up the three points to help us move forward, to help us start fighting for something. But again, it goes back to consistency that we have been preaching about.”
Napsa Stars entered the match as clear favorites against Indeni, who had only managed a single point in their previous eight league games before Saturday’s home tie with the Pensioners.
“For me, I think this game was supposed to be a straight win, but again, football being what it is, we have to pick one point,” Mumbi added.
Despite Kayombo’s early goal, Napsa Stars struggled to maintain their lead, allowing Indeni to level the score twenty minutes later.
Mumbi attributed the setback to “silly fouls” and the team’s lack of game management. “It was a matter of concentration. We committed silly fouls in our box; it was always going to be very difficult. But it comes back to consistency and managing the game amongst players themselves.”
On the flip side, Mumbi acknowledged a positive start, in line with the team’s pre-match plans. “Of course, you can see the positive—we scored early, and that’s what we had planned for. The bad part is conceding ten minutes after that.”
