A brace and an assist for Emmanuel Chabula gives Zambia 3 – 1 win over Ethiopia
The Zambia national team completed their tour of Ethiopia with an impressive 3 – 1 win over their hosts in the second international friendly with that country played in Addis Ababa.
It was a productive afternoon for striker Emmanuel Chabula who scored a brace while Collins Sikombe scored one and he will have himself to blame for not picking a brace after he saw his effort come off the cross bar when he had the gaping goal at his mercy.
Coach Micho made five changes to the team that beat the Walia Ibex on Thursday at the same venue. Jackson Kakunta started in goal ahead of Lameck Siame. Thursday’s two-goal hero Albert Kangwanda was also handed a start, together with Leonard Mulenga, Dominic Chanda, and Amity Shamende.
Zambia were pressing from the top and forcing Ethiopia to make errors. This paid off in the 14th minute when Bruce Musakanya played Chabula through with good ball in the box which he finished off with a stunning shot. A couple of minutes earlier, Chabula saw his beautiful diving head from a Kondwani Chiboni cross beat the keeper only to be disallowed for offside.
The Chipolopolo were not relenting with their pressure a cross from Musakanya ended with Amity Shamenda drawing a save off the goal keeper. Chabula kept the ball alive from the rebound by playing it across the goal for Sikombe to tap in from close range in the 24th minute.
Chabula again exploited some poor defending he picked another through ball from Musakanya near the centre line to race into the box and beat the goalkeeper with a low shot to make it three for Zambia in the 35th minute.
It would have been worse for the hosts in the 45th minute when Chabula making another run found Shamenda who squared the ball for Sikombe but he saw his effort come off the woodwork with the goalkeeper beaten..
Micho made a myriad of changes at the break that saw Collins Sikombe going off for Chaniza Zulu, Bruce Musakanya for Paul Katema, Kondwani Chiboni for Benedict Chepeshi, Luka Banda for Luka N’guni and Emmanuel Chabula for Friday Samu.
The changes so the balance of play tilt to the Walia Ibex and they were creating more chances with Zambia’s attack becoming stale.
The hosts were duly rewarded for their efforts in the 84th minute when Zecharia Chilongoshi was beaten on the left for the striker to shoot past a beaten Kakunta.
With matches against South Sudan cancelled after the team from Juba failed to travel, the Chipolopolo will head home to finalize preparations for the must win match against Botswana on 12th November, 2020.
ZAMBIA XI VS ETHIOPIA
Jackson Kakunta (16), Kondwani Chiboni (4) (Benedict Chepeshi), Zacharia Chilongoshi (23) (Kebson Kamanga), Luka Banda (5) (Luka Nguni), Leonard Mulenga (8) (Kelvin Kapumbu), Dominic Chanda (21), Collins Sikombe (14) (Chaniza Zulu), Emmanuel Chabula (17) (Friday Samu), Amity Shamende (9) (Thomas Zulu), Albert Kangwanda (11) (Benson Sakala), Bruce Musakanya (12) (Paul Katema)
UNUSED SUNSTITUTES:
Lameck Siame (18), Charles Muntanga (1), Kelvin Mubanga Kampamba (7)
Well done team.
Good win for the locally based players. Thank you to the Football Association for organising all these friendly games we have played. Kenya, Malawi, RSA and Ethiopia.
We just need to blend in the others players. Though i feel guys like Nathan Sinkala, S.Sunzu are needed going forward. When we play Algeria and Zimbabwe it will be a real test and we will need tough tested Warriors.
We should not be carried away by the friendly games we have won.
you call these third rate friendlys good preparation? faz is a joke. are we preparing for cosafa?
there was an international break last week, yet this joke of a coach decided to play a fourth string zambia
good results for coach, like his attacking mindset. Hopefully tha back line looks cleare in his mind now.
good luck coah and team hoping for good results in Algeria.
(Are Mayuka/R Kalaba in the plans going forward…. ???)