Zambia U20 National Team head coach Boyd Mulwanda has described the team’s opening day draw against Sierra Leone at the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt 2025 as a tough match.
Mulwanda believes the result was a fair result for the Junior Chipolopolo as they did not lose which would have been worse.
Young Chipolopolo and debutants Sierra Leone played to a goalless draw in a closely contested affair at the Suez Canal Stadium on Sunday.
“I think today’s game was not easy for us, It was a tough game. Sierra Leone prepared well, Looking at the way they were playing, it was not easy for our boys. Going forward we will prepare the boys well and psych them so that they know what they are expecting in the next match,” he said.
“We are playing Egypt next, it won’t be easy. Looking at the result , I think 0-0 is fair for us. We had chances but we could not convert.”
“It’s a fair result for us, not losing , a point is good for us,” he added.
Mulwanda singled out his midfield as the part of the puzzle that did not work and that’s why he made changes to stabilize the team.
Mulwanda says he was not expecting a draw as he planned for a win but plans to work on his strike force ahead of the match against the hosts, Egypt.
“I think it’s in the park of the midfield, our boys did not come to the party, David and Perkins (Mumba Mwale) were not themselves, that’s why we made some changes, removed Perkins and brought in Chilimina and I think that’s were we had to get stability in the game and I think going forward we going to talk to the boys to up their game,” he said.
“No, we never expected to get a draw, we thought we were going to win this game, but football being what it is, at times you plan to win but don’t get the result. What’s most important is that we did not lose, got a draw and we are going to build on this one.”
“We had a chance to win the game, but we couldn’t score that’s part of the game. You may create chances but you don’t score. What’s important is that we told the boys that if we don’t score, even us we should not concede and that’s what happened. We are going to work on our strike force so that when we have chances we get the goals we need to progress in the tournament,” he added.
The former Buildcon coach is however still confident of Zambia’s chances of qualification to the next round.
“The chances of qualification are still bright. This is just the first game. We have something to build on, we have a point which is good, unlike if we had lost it was going to give us pressure. Going to the next game, I think we are going to work and see how best we can prepare the boys to get a win,” he said.
“We are going to talk to the boys, analyze the game and see how best we are going to play against Egypt.”
Beyond continental glory, the four semi-finalists will book their tickets to the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
We were OUT PLAYED both on the pitch & tactical approach to the game.
Sierra Leone played as a team by attacking, pressing, & defending as a team.
🇿🇲🇿🇲🇿🇲🇿🇲🇿🇲🇿🇲🇿🇲’s play was chaotic because they played as individuals. Managed to win an individual award