The Zambia U20 national soccer team has qualified to the final of the 2017 Total U20 Africa Cup of Nations tournament after beating stubborn South Africa 1 – 0.
An Edward Chilufya extra time goal in the 108th minute propelled Zambia to the finals after the two teams had battled to a goalless draw after 90 minutes play.
Having beaten Amajita twice in the last few months, 2-1 in the regional COSAFA U-20 Cup and the same scoreline in a friendly, the Junior Chipolopolo were highly favoured to complete a treble over their neighbours.
But it did not come on a silver platter, against a South African side that were rarely intimidated by the huge turnout at the 60,000-capacity stadium, giving the host their stiffest test in the tournament thus far.
With a balanced defence, Amajita was the better of the two sides in the opening minutes, winning three corner kicks in succession by the quarter-hour mark.
After a first half with no clear cut chance at goal, both teams resumed strongly and with former Zambia coach Herve Renard in the stands, the Chipolopolo soon began to find their feet.
Enock Mwepu was unlucky to break the deadlock when a clearance by a South African defender bounced off his body only for the post to deny him. Just on the stroke of full time, Mpoto was to his side’s rescue with a superb save off a Patson Daka goal bound shot to force the game into extra time.
During extra time, Chilufya settled matter with a flicking header from Chilufya curling shot from a free-kick to send the crowd at the packed stadium onto the cloud nine.
Zambia will now play the winner of Thursday’s other semi-final between Senegal and Guinea in Ndola in Sunday’s final, whilst South Africa faces the loser in the battle for bronze.
Indeed stubborn sa good we won a clean uncontroversial game still the lads just need to be focused the job is just or almost done good job chaps and I like the sportsmanship exhibited between the sides when they meet there is that togetherness at end keep it up to both
That sportsmanship was great. We need to see more of that in the world
Beston won’t take us anywhere at the world cup….useless coach. …..what has Luchanga done to not even kick a ball….to be overlooked ahead of useless players like Kalunga
My goodness…we have scored 11 goals against two and are in the finals of the U20 African Championships for the first and the coach is crazy for not playing our boy!? For what it’s worth, he knows better and that is why the country is celebrating tonight…he will take us further in the WC than we have ever gone…you Mr Soccerguru I will keep an eye on you dear sir!
Why Guru? Why?
Dude what is wrong with you? The team got the job done and that’s all that matters. Take a chill pill before you pop a vein bro
Yep Luchanga z better than others mwee coach plz
Congratration to the team for the hard fought victory the game was tough both teams had the equal chances of winning it.the cup should remain here, just that I was disappointed with what happen I mean the tear gas it will paint the bad picture for zambia across Africa and the world at large
We won’t go far….The reason we have done well is the boys have talent….and the home ground advantage. … but tactics wise….
Coach is useless
What tactics did you want the coach to employee other than you keep calling for Luchanga that didn’t play well in the game he was played? This is a kind of a game a coach needed to be cautious by not exposing the back field. Can you please enlighten us what the coach should have done other than including Luchanga in the line up?
Good question
The boys had a lot of chances to score and that’s not on coaching, on any give day, I think Patson or any of the strikers would have scored with those chances, but nerves were high knowing what was at stake and goes with not being matured enough to be able to deal with that kind of nerve wrecking. When these kids are matured, they will score 3-4 goals on those clear cut chances. Give the coach some credit he did well, but of course it does not seem you think that way, maybe if you would educate us on where he messed up, it would be better to understand your rants.
Give some detail mwe! This coach has an excellent attitude on the touch line and i always agree with his team selection by the players application not their names. If we don’t do well at the world cup it will be because of the depth of our team.
Luchanga’s chance will come with this coach, if need be. I think this coach is also a very good person.
The Southafrican’s too had a coach who applied verygood tactics. However Chambeshi and his team had much more advanced tactics,hence worn the game. Its better to congratulate that regard him useless. At the world cup finals the team will perform very well. Let us not shoot ourselves in the leg especially when we can see good football been played by our boys.
That boy Enock mwepu is going places
Hope he will not go to tp mazembe or south africa
That boy seriously should be in Europe. He has some crazy talent.
YAYA TOURE. WHAT DO YOU THINK. BOY PKLAYS WITH A SMILE.
bane muletasha
You do not change the winning team the coach was sport on.luchanga in the first game against genuine was struggling for match fitness because he luck game time at his club in israel so mr soccer guru leave the coach alone we are alread in the final
Well done boys I said it that Zambia if they employ a good tactical approach will win the game and here they are! I am very sure they will meet Guinea again.
I was disappointed with the behivior of the police were they tear gas the fans but alas it worked to our advantage in the sense that the south african players were disturbed mentally
I thought the wailers died! No! They are the equivalent of Lusaka Times “Antagonists” on this site! Wow! This type of hate Zambians will take you nowhere! Congratulations boys! Congratulations Beston “Quicksilver!” You have done us proud and like Coach Renerd, none has sone this before! God bless you! God bless Zambia!
Congratulations boys! South Africa, sorry, I hope you have learned a lesson to live in peace with your neighbours and friends!
There are so many ways of killing a rat just like in football there are so many ways in winning the match some do it through buying a referee like they do in west Africa,but today we have done it in our own way through tear gas. zambia1 xephiambio 0.what a name MALEPE I’m very happy today
People like Guru are natural pessimist,why being negative all the time some people!! awe sure
Well done Zambia. These young men have done an amazing job. Hats off to them, and hats off to FAZ (Kalu and Kamanga), one for making this tournament happen in Zambia and the other for amazing preparations for the U-20.
Beston Chambeshi; congrats for being one of the elite coaches to qualify Zambia to the Youth Championship. Also, I hope you will be the first to win the U-20 AFCON. Guinea or Senegal will be tough customers.
My only disappointment is that the CB fans did not get to watch Zambia play.
In all fairness @ +vethinking most of the senior Chipolopolo games are played in Ndola. Even the next World Cup qualifying games are scheduled for Levy Mwanawasa stadium.
Lusaka fans always travel just to see the team in action. Akin to us the Lusaka fans, the copper belt brothers must endure the trip to Heroes Gabon…. Stadium!
Congratulations to the coach for keeping the winning team.what a talent does this zambian team have.please keep this boys together.fashion sakala,boyed musonda,mwepu,daka believe me this young man are going places.please stop blaming the coach for not including luchanga.he struggled in the first game.spot on to the coach for keeping the winning team.
Can the senior team replicate the junior team by showing passion and quest for scoring goals. We want to see the same fighting spirit in the senior team.
Congrats young chipolopolo uve done our nation proud, with due respect, luchanga is a vry good player, buh da team wch is playing ar also doing fyn so I see no reason 4 doz lads lads 2 be questioned n their coach also becoz conylide is not playing, we shd learn 2 give credit wher itx due congratx once mo boys
Why are you guys bothering to keep responding to this pessimist. Even if we win the Afcon and World cup he will have something negative to say. For some people its nature to see all things in a negative light. If this was a movie it would be titled the ” THE RETURN OF THE WAILERS”.
Please gents ignore the negativity. This is a time of national joy and happiness, those unfortunately born with negative blood cells in their blood all we can say to them is sorry for your disease.
I hope there is some really good advise circulating in the Zambian camp regarding scouts and contracts. These lads will have all sorts of scouts and promises in their faces and they are young and vulnerable so I really hope FAZ has something in place to protect them from the vultures.
Congratulations are indeed in order. I was almost giving up. I was about to retire as I don’t watch penalties when Zambia are playing. The teargas incident was a big embarrassment. surprised that cameras didn’t show Lungu and Hayatou during that fracas. But @ The undefeated Guru, was the teargas selective ? I thought it affected both sides ? we hammered them fair and square. It was a hard fought victory.
From the comments i can say most of you guys on this site are to locally based and you feed off second-third hand info….some unruly chaps wanted to force themselves into the stadium hence the police had to control the situation by using the teargas…but as you all know.(i hope you do)..the wind carried the teargas into the stadium….chapwa….and to beston , the whole bench and the boys..well done…a win is win…and congratulations….
@ Ba Kalampa, it this culture of opening the gates in the last few minutes of a games ( especially local league matches ) and letting in people free that has led to this embarrassment. Fans do not realize that this is a CAF match and that cannot happen. They wanted to implement the same culture – kaili nimu extra time !
@Pungwa..im not for the action some so called fans wanted to take…im against what some pipo are saying about the police and then using teargas…for me it was a job well done..a bit of tear gas is better than a stampede of 60,000 pipo….and thats the bigger picture
Moses Nyondo, took time to settle down, but he is going far. he has the body, the nerve and the attitude to make it big.
Please don’t listen to “Ingulu!” Wailers are spoilers – always! Thank you Beston! Games change and you will not be on cloud 9 all the time! Please shut up you have not even coached women’s soccer or a compound soccer team now you call yourself an “expert!”
Am sure the boy will feature at some point in the final game.