Kaizer Chiefs 1 – 2 Zesco United [Agg: 5-2] (Akumu Anthony, Jesse Were | Khama Billiat)
Zambian champions Zesco United sailed through to the group stage of the 2018/19 CAF Confederation Cup after a 2 – 1 win over South African giants Kaizer Chiefs in the second round of the competition. The result on the night meant that Zesco United progress to the lucrative group stage with a 5-2 aggregate scoreline.
Coach George Lwandamina made one change to the team that started the first leg bringing in Marcel Kalonda who missed the first leg due to suspension in central defense. This allowed Anthony Akumu who played as a make-shift centre back to move into his favorite holding midfield position alongside Kondwani Mtonga with Misheck Chaila settling for the substitutes bench.
Chiefs dominated in the first few minutes of the game and were on the front in the opening exchanges. But it was Zesco who took the lead in the 10th minute when Akumu who was arguably Zesco’s man of the match dispossessed his marker in midfield to drive into the Amankhosi half and unleash a powerful 35-yard drive that beat Vries in the Chiefs goal at the near post.
Zesco then sat back in their sockets and were comfortable to play on the counter attack, looking dangerous every time they went forward with Lazarous Kambole, Rahim Osumanu and Jesse Were.
Osumanu could have made it two on the half hour mark when he was picked by a well-placed Akumu pass finding him with only the goal at his mercy but his first touch let him down to allow the Chiefs defense to recover.
Zesco added a second in the 69th minute after the host’s skipper Katsande dithered on the ball only to be dispossessed by Kambole whose effort was blocked for the ball to fall kindly in the path of Were. The Kenyan dangerman made no mistake in picking his spot for the second goal.
Khama Billiat scored the face saver injury time when he beat an otherwise excellent Marcel Kalonda with a well-controlled ball on the chest to shoot on the half volley past Jacob Banda who did not have much to do in the game.
Zesco United XI
Jacob Banda – Simon Silwimba (Solomon Sakala), Clement Mwape, Marcel Kalonda, Mwila Phiri – Anthony Akumu, Kondwani Mtonga – Lazarous Kambole, John Chingandu (Misheck Chiala), Jackson Were – Rahim Osumanu (Kalengo)
Kaizer Chiefs XI
Vries – Hadebe, Booysen, Cardoso, Maluleka, Katsande, Ntiya-Ntiya, Parker, Ekstein, Billiat, Castro
