Former Chipolopolo captain Christopher Katongo on Wednesday evening made it two in two as his continued with his fine goal scoring form for his club Bidvest wits when they beat Collins Mbesuma’s Mpumalanga Black Aces 2 – 1 away from home.
Katongo opened the scoring in the 10th minute. An individual effort from the experienced campaigner pierced the hosts’ defence and put the away side in the lead in a game he completed 90 minutes.
Mbesuma on the other hand failed to follow up his weekend exploits which saw him hit the target in the home loss to Polokwane City as he drew blanks despite completing the match.
Clifford Mulenga’s Ajax Cape Town locked horns with Mukuka Mulenga and Davies Nkausu’s Bloemfontein Celtic with Ajax running away winners with a lone goal scored by Scott G.
Only Mukuka started the game amongst the three Zambians available for selection though he lasted only 46 minutes while Clifford came off the bench in the 76th minute.
Nkausu was an unused substitute in the game. The win moves Ajax into second position.
Over the weekend, Mulenga was again a 54th minute substitute in Ajax’ draw against Maritzburg United while Mukuka played 69 minutes in his team’s 1 – 0 win over Chippa United.
Veteran defender Joseph Musonda has also continued to enjoy game time and on Tuesday played 73 minutes and helped Polokwane City keep Kaizer Chiefs at bay in their 0 – 0 draw.
He completed 90 minutes over the weekend in the weekend win over Black Aces.
Kennedy Mweene and Bornwell Mwape’s games were both postponed though both were in action over the weekend with Kennedy Mweene conceding a goal while Mwape’s dry spell continues and he lasted 72 minute in their 4 – 2 loss to Platinun Stars.
A summary of the activities during the past weekend;
Kondwani Mtonga has continued to impress in the Indian Super League this time managing a goal in his club North East’s 2 – 1 home loss to Delhi Dynamos on Monday evening.
Mtonga who started alongside fit again country man Isaac Chansa benefited from a Koke assist to head home in the 80th minute in what only proved to be a consolation for his team.
The on loan Zesco United midfielder has usually played in a more advanced role in midfield but this time dropped in into the defensive midfield role to accommodate Chansa.
Both players completed 90 minutes for the team placed 8th on the log.
Isaac Chansa has now featured 5 times in 10 games while Mtonga has played 9 time with a return of two goals.
Elsewhere, Roger Kola was on target for Israeli club Ironi Kiryat after he scored a quick first minute goal in their 2 – 1 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Kola’s fourth goal in 8 matches solidifies his team hold on top of the log as they went 5 points clear.
There was also action in Israel for Emmanuel Mbola and Evans Kangwa for their club Hapoel Ra’anana when they lost 1 – 0 away to Maccabi Netanya.
Mbola completed the match while Kangwa lasted 68 minutes. Ra’anana are in 8th position.
Jacob Mulenga has continued to be key in Adanar Dermispor’s chase for promotion this time scoring a goal from the spot in their 3 – 2 away win. His team is currently in 5th position.
On Saturday, Chisamba Lungu came off the bench in the 63rd minute but could not help his club avoid a 3 – 1 home defeat to Rubin Kazan.
Nathan Sinkala was not named on the bench in Grasshoppers 3 – 2 win over Luzern while Stopilla Sunzu continues to miss in the Sochaux team due to injury.
However he provided the assist for the consolation goal converted by team mate S Gogniev.
In England, Emmanuel Mayuka also got some action for his club Southampton after he came off the bench in the 79th minute in their 1 – 1 draw at Aston Villa.
Kola must be given a chance by Janza.
I prefer chris katongo than this kola guy chris chipondo….!!!
chris iz still in gud form, coach must cal him despite hving differences b wn
am sorry but kola only scores headers lol
We need Chris Katongo back, he is scoring in high profile league PSL. Let’s put our differences aside for the betterment of our Zambian football.at the moment we don’t have a best striker playing in competitive leagues. We kick chris out,we should expect early exit in afcon 2015. We need his experience. Chris should just apologies to FAZ and to the public to restore his pedigree and move on.
CK adds more ammunition please twapapata instead of Chamanga please.
Kola has been given some chances in the Chipolopolo through call up but this guy I think will never get any better. This is as far as he can go.
Good to learn Mukuka Mulenga is getting some game time at Bloem Celtics.
I also believe that Kondwani Mtonga needs to be called back into the national team to strengthen our holding midfield role. I believe that Nathan Sinkala though he did well in the afcon qualifying matches needed somebody like Mtonga to assist him. I saw him struggling a bit in the midfield.
Bring back Chris and see Chipolopolo winning streak going back to draws . We have moved on learn to let go and just nurture the young ones who I have seen they ve potential to do us proud in EG. Chris like attention and bullying the younger ones even if he can score in PSL that doesn’t mean he can score in our senior team.
CK deserves another spin as long as he comes bk as a team player …Katongo nishimbi!
the same pepo who celebrated Chris’s dispatch from the national team r the same ones calling for his return after jst scoring three goals in two games. zambians awe sure
since his removal, the team has bin wining. so u want to bring bak confusion and discourage other players.
Well put my brother. Some people are shocking.
Spot on
Forget about Chris Katongo!!!! He is finished and inconsistent.
Ok majority wins.
Our team in the current state lacks a leader on the field.There is no inspiration.We have qualified by chance.Our bogey match in Mozambique was saved by experience rather than these new average kids,forget about the Cape Verde formality game.Those kids cant go beyond the first round in Equatorial Guenui.Even Sate Sate is just an average chancer who cannot be relied on as a game changer.We need Chris Katongo not only for his inspirational role but leadership.These coach must learn to manage the egos in the camp.Learn to consult senior players on certain changes to the team.Call some senior players aside and explain certain sudden changes.You cannot bench Chris and Jacob in preference for some toddler called Charles Zulu without justifying your decision!
There is no doubt,Chris has done this nation a lot of pride but lets remember that even him at one time he had to take over from somebody and this is what has just happened.Lets excersise patience if we want good results to come our way.
@ paradox Im also shocked.
We need the experience of Chris. The contribution of the younger generation is well appreciated but at AFCON, you need experience. The difference between Brazil and Germany at the last World Cup was experience. Brazil overhauled their team while Germany made some changes. The experience of Klose, Schweinsteiger was always available, whereas Brazil had dispensed with Kaka, Ronaldinho etc. We don’t have to make the same mistake.
Last time Johnstone Bwalya was dismissed on flimsy reasons, but because we did not support him, we lost him, we don’t need to make the same mistake.
Just my opinion!
zambians lets move away from this mentality, wen a player scores two goals in two games, ati he is bak in form and will win us games..
We have so many younger players in the squad so we need experienced players like CK11 and Chansa.
@mumbi. we have kalaba chisamba mweene and nkausu
wen eto retired from the Cameroon team, look how youngsters that Neva had a chance suddenly burst into the limelight. look were Cameroon is now. Zambia did the same by getting rid of katongo, brot in youngstars, look at how they contributed in preventing Zambia from being embarrassed by Mozambique and cape Verde
Kola will not bring anything additional to what the youngsters Sate Sate and Kangwa already bring to the national team.
Had a drink with Fwayo last weekend here in Johannesburg, he was very cagey when I asked him if was tracking a contract in the PSL but his friend then blurted it out that he is on the verge of signing for Chiefs should his former club not bring up old issues. I honestly thought it was just bar talk but today I see there is an article on the same. I hope he clinches the deal.
Experience is the hall mark of a good team and when it matters most guys like Chris will be needed in the team at the tournament to balance the team. Chris just needs to understand that if he comes back in the team, it will be a whole new role. The tournament is long and gruesome, a few experienced guys to hold the fort are a must.
Chris Katongoooooooooooooooo!
These are players who know what it means to play for the National Team, please call him back !
Why is it that here in Zambia we do not what to move forward? Every time there is news of those old players of them scoring and people will start calling of their inclusion in the team.Eto scores,so is Drogba but never do I hear them being recalled back to the team ,some people would say that we need experienced players,but what of Kalaba,Mweene,Sunzu,Mayuka and Sinkala is that not experience enough.
What the National Team needs is quality, whether you are old or young but as long as you are playing well you deserve a call up, that’s why you see Managers like Roy Hogson at one time gave Bolton’s Kevin Davies a National Team call up, In Zambia we have this talk of young player this, young player that. Question is has the young player earned his spot on the team? You speak of Countries like Cameroon and CIV, look at the competition those players in that squad face, when a player dons the National jersey of Cameroon or Nigeria or even CIV you are assured that player has earned it, players like Eto’o quit because of various factors, among them ordering the Captain of the plane not to go airborne before they could be assured of World Cup bonuses by the President of Cameroon, and that was before the WC, he also disrespected their current coach, all these things really didn’t boil well for Eto’ will Didier he was tired of heartbreak but Herve Renard is still trying to bring him back, but you see Wilfried and Doumbia are also doing well in their various leagues and are playing at the top level of world football, so before we submit something lets always look and analyze carefully.
Awee bane. twakana ifyo fyena don’t compare Roy Hogson’s England to Zambia. The fact that works for England does not mean it will work for Zambia. History has proved that Zambian players when they age, they really struggle, with the exception of Kalusha who at 40, was able to contribute positively to the national team. Can’t you see the way youngsters like Lubambo are shining and you can really see movement in the team in these last matches compared to the match we played against Moz in Ndola and CV in Praia. Lets move FORWARD bane.
Mr janza pliz 4give this guy for the sake of our beloved chipolopolo and the nation, chris also you do the right thing by apologizing to the nation, you lose nothing….!!!
The following will be called for assessment as we prepare for AFCON 2015
1. Cliford Mulenga (AJAX CT, SA) Winger cum striker
2. Francis Simwanza (Nkana) Holding cum attacking Midfielder
3. Alex Ngonga (Power) striker cum winger
4. Mukuka Mulenga (Blonf Celtic) attacking MIDFIELDER
5. Collins Mbesuma (ACES) STRIKER
6. Shadreck Musonda (Nkana) WINGER CUM STRIKER
Chris Katongo, Chamanga, Joseph Musonda, Mbesuma, Jacob Mulenga, Isaac Chansa, these players their time is up. The should not be anywhere near Chipolopolo. We thank them for what they have done for mother Zambia.
The experienced players we have are Chisamba Lungu, Kalaba, Mweene, Sunzu, Mayuka, Mbola, Nkausu, Singuluma and Sinkala. Let’s move FORWARD ZAMBIA.
No Chris K around the national team we have started wining chapwa let him stay in PSL it is called change mwalaba shani we have young lads who are very sharp than your CK, futi aletu kaka sana chatile ulya
ba mwiiinga naimwe. lets move on. we have capable experience game changing players In the team. Chris’s return will bring confusion in the team.
Lubambo Musonda is an exceptional player and even his work rate at his club alone speaks for it’s self, that’s why he is in the National Team. The National Team is supposed to be for players who are playing their best at club level and that form is supposed to be replicated at National level, that’s why you even saw coaches like Maradona when he was still at the helm of the Argentinian coaching job calling on the striking services of Martin Palermo, it’s the same situation even in Finland Jari Litmanen and the like, but with us, it’s another story. If you are a young footballer prove yourself and you will be selected. That story of saying he is old and he should be dropped makes no sense if the player is contributing positively at his club
but he has only scored three goals and u r already concluding that his performance has has peaked.
He is playing good football and has scored in his last 3 games, he joined Wits this season and for him to come out all guns blazing like this is a definite message to all those watching. He is a hard worker and should be rewarded.
@Mwiinga, those old players you are mentioning (Etoo, Drogba, Palermo) played or play football at the highest level in good european clubs and far better than our veterans. You can’t compare them to our veterans who play football in less competitive leagues.
Selection to the national team is based on performance and not on inuendos and hatred.If a player can bring value at 40 ,so let it be.Evidence from the games we have played so far under Janza clearly shows that we are rushing these young players and courting disaster.Look at the damage you almost caused to the confidence of that young Zulu.He was booed throughout the game against Niger and his confidence levels have plumeted.Lets keep a good balance between the young and the experienced players.CK and the likes of Jacob still have value to add to the National team.Janza must learn to manage this change without humiliating senior players.So far he is not doing a good job.We cannot take some inexperienced and physically inept kids to a tournament like AFCON unless we want to face a football humiliation while there.The disadvantage of having local coaches is that they do not possess any football philosophy and allow interference from adminstrators in player selections.Herve Renard would not allow these player agents masquarading as adminstrators dictacte player selection!
Learn to move on,this is like trying to go back to yo ex because she has started looking gud…….we are doing just fine,it’s not long ago when u pipo were calling 4 the axing of chris katongo.
@game theory. ati trying to go bak to yo ex becoz she now looks good. kekekeke. wanisekesa. heheheheheh
it’s like this with Zambian players they play well once called up to the national team they relax. bak to their old selfs. lets expose the young ones for future sake. now is the time. let a young player fill up Chris position for future sake.
I have never called for Chris to be left out of the squad, i simply believe in hard workers getting rewarded and Chris is doing just that. You play 2 Countries ranked above 100 on the FiFA World Rankings win 2 and Draw 2 games and beat Cabo Verde at home with a second string team and you think you are doing good? Have you sat down to watch those games critically ?
Iwe! Are you Katongo? Let us progress. What’s your problem?
Hehehehe Ba Mwiinga lets move on, the wind changed some time back, we gave Chris chance just after we where eliminated from the first round in 2013 and he could not prove what it takes to die a little for mother zambia, he was the first to issue a statement that they where not in pressure to defend the 2013 AFCON cup . To me this statement is not good to the development of football. We dont need Chris near the team period, ba Janza please dont call Christ, who said nalibeba ifinshika filakalipa and he went on to say I spin the beans. Lets not go back to out vomit
I think chris shud jst be left like that,he hs run th race well but sad to say he also brings confusion in team see how they hv improved without him,no fighting over captaincy, no shouting n degrading fellow player especially young one(his comments on Evans’ brace against uganda) I like paradox’s response cameroon are doin much beta without eto n other old guns look at SA also doing th same I just don’t understand calling for Kola n chris as if we r short of beta striker or we r not scoring? I wud suggest or second those calling for K Mtonga coz we r a bit short in that area
@mwiinga I think bro,let’s face it we beta off without chris….if u r tru soccer follower u wl remember wat hs cost many players places in their teams england for example wen ferdinand n terry had issues they were left out of th teams…are you familiar wt th American saying that “we are doing things for th greater good”? So for Zed’s “good” is without Chris his wl breakdown th wonderful team spirit that’s there…
Mtonga K wl be a good addition to replace malama,he is versatile but more especially in holding role n central defensive….another area we nid reinforcement is right back,Kabaso wud hv bn a good replacement to ba musonda but his lack of endurance n not reading th seriousiness of th game myt jst hv cost him his place,Nkausu is “okay” but abit slow paced how abt Jimmy chisenga is there a beta right back out there?
One thing that will cost Zambia big at this afcon is overconfidence and thinking football is a quick fix solution, i would encourage many members on this platform to read Tunisian coach George Leekens book, and maybe then will you understand the importance of players like CK 11 and the like who though according to you are old but are adding value at their clubs, but sadly also is that we don’t have a coach with the calibre of Leekens and the like, we are heading nowhere
so wat mwiinga is saying is that katongo is the missing link in the team to compete at next year afcon?
What i’m basically saying is players doing well at their clubs should be called up, the likes of CK 11, Mbesuma, Noah Chivuta, Lubambo Musonda, sadly Ndumba Makeche can’t be called because of the dual citizenship issue but he has had a good season at his club in Malaysia. You can’t ignore a player like Chris he has 89 CAPS for Zambia and that in itself speaks volumes
I know Chris’s got much to share,my only worry is…would he cm back to prove a point or play for national pride??…otherwise enough respect!
Forget Chris! Its time to move forward. Some of u on this forum are hypocrits. Lelo mwamupontele mailo mulemutasha…
Let Chris rest. We dont need Ruphias in football. He did his part and y should we go backwards. If lose a game with CK….u will say aaaaah but we were winning with his absence
Kondwani Mtonga should be called to the national soccer team
I watched the Indian league, it’s not bad and he together with Isaac Chansa are doing just fine. Honestly do we need Chamanga in the team? No. Give chance to deserving players. The coach should be extra careful with the selection of the team, otherwise we will be embarrassed.
@ Cuban cigar,Kekekeke…ati we don’t need Rupiahs in football.
Bring our Katongo back.
He’s more valuable than Chamanga.
I commented on this subject allot. I will break it down simply. Chris Katongo would add value to the team no doubt, least we forget who who he is even in his aging state.
He would add value provided he is ready to sit the on bench and be ready to come on as substitue. That means he is no longer the star of the show and no longer the captain because Mweene or Sunzu would starting ahead of him.
Would he be able to play the role of a sub, would that be to much for his pride, would it be too much if it is Janza running the show at Afcon? That is the question!
The question of whether Chris Katongo is needed or not is not the question.
Seen from afar..The question should be ..Is janza capable of handling the transition of phasing out semior players without bruosing their egos?CK is ready to sit on the bench but does the coach know how to justify such actions and explain it well to the senior players?Maybe a little lesson will do.Thsi is how a good coach deals with such circumstances:
– Call your captain aside and give him your plans(A captain is the defacto Assistant coach of the team)
– Assure certain senior players of their importance to the team
– Start giving some senior players grooming roles while they are still playing(You dont lose anything by delegating certain training duties to selected senior player…This massages their egos and make them feel important)
– Avoid shouting at senior players in the presence of young players
-Explain the reason for dropping certain long serving players and assure them of their importance in future
These are some of the technics a good coach would use in a transition like this in order to keep the dressing room intact.One day even the current young players will grow old and would shudder at the thought of being mistreated like we are doing with CK and the likes.Renard handled such well with the likes of Chintu kampamba being accorded the respect he deserves.A National team should comprise of the best players of the land regardless of age especially for a one off tournament like the AFCON.
If we delude ourselves and carry the likes of Donasho,Munthali and Musakanya as the core of the so called fresh legs,we will be embarassed in Equatorial Guinea.We need sate sate,Lubambo ,Evans Kangwa and probably two or three more promising young players who are ready for the big stage and fuse them in the core team of our already experienced players.The rest can wait for the CHAN and COSAFA to gain the need pedigree.Trying to make a wholesale change will not help us in anyway!
@Seen from afar those are the questions that need to be answered coz i dont think Chris will be prepared to play second feedle to his juniors going by those statements he used to issue. Chris is not like Drogbar who is humble, Chris is proud and wants his presence to be felt even by the technical personnel. The best is to let him be, let Janza do what the SA coach has done remove all those proud for nothing old guys and bring in young and hungry players who can respect the coach and play for national pride and not for personal glory. We have a lot of talent to fit in the shoes of Chris, Mbesuma, Chansa, Chamanga etc. We salute them for their galant fights for mother Zambia but its time to move on.
First it was N.Chivuta now it is CK11 people why are we Zambians are like this.It is like one is independent but keeps going back to his parents on their pay day,learn to stand up and be counted period.
CHRIS KATONGO has played his part now we have to move on