By Angela Bambala Bwalya
ZANACO coach Numba Mumamba has criticised his players’ lack of urgency and aggression after the Bankers surrendered a first-half lead to suffer a 3-2 defeat against Konkola Blades in their first home fixture of the MTN Super League Transitional Season at Sunset Stadium.
ZANACO looked on course for victory after overturning an early deficit to lead 2-1 at half-time, but two second-half goals from Konkola Blades condemned the hosts to their first defeat of the campaign.
Mumamba admitted that his side fell short of expectations, particularly after the break, when they struggled to match the intensity of their opponents.
“A disappointing result, I must say. We conceded an early goal and responded quickly and went ahead. But unfortunately, when we came from the break, we conceded another early goal in the second half,” he said.
Clive Biyeta gave Konkola Blades the lead in the 16th minute, finishing off a Benjamin Saeli assist, before Dominic Kanda equalised for ZANACO from the penalty spot in the 30th minute.
Araina Lambert completed the hosts’ turnaround three minutes before half-time, converting a David Bulaya assist to put the Bankers 2-1 ahead at the interval.
However, Boyd Musonda levelled for the visitors from the penalty spot just two minutes into the second half before Jackson Phiri struck in the 66th minute to complete Konkola Blades’ comeback.
Mumamba also pointed to the dismissal of Kanda, who received a second yellow card in the 75th minute, as a factor that made it difficult for ZANACO to recover control of the match.
He said Konkola Blades capitalised on their numerical advantage to dominate possession and take control of the midfield.
“The red card that we got also unsettled us in the second half because Konkola now had more numbers in the midfield, and they outsmarted us in the midfield as they controlled and kept the ball to themselves due to their numerical advantage,” he said.
Despite the setback, the ZANACO coach was particularly disappointed with his players’ failure to reproduce the intensity they had displayed in their previous outing in Chingola.
“The team played very well in Chingola, but today we lacked urgency and aggression from most of the players, and that was the difference between us and Konkola. They were aggressive, and they had urgency on the ball,” Mumamba said.
The coach also highlighted defensive shortcomings, accusing his players of failing to track their opponents and allowing Konkola Blades too much freedom after releasing the ball.
He believes those lapses contributed to the goals conceded and underlined the need for greater defensive discipline as the campaign progresses.
“If you look at the goals that we conceded, we were not tracking our men. Here, the man gives a pass and he wants to receive the second pass, we remain behind, and that is what resulted in that first goal,” he said.
Mumamba urged his players to learn from the defeat and address the mistakes that cost them points.
“Otherwise, we need to pull up our socks and work on the mistakes that we have noticed in this game,” he added.
Mumamba turns attention to Makeni All Stars
ZANACO have little time to dwell on the defeat, with an away fixture against Makeni All Stars on Thursday followed by Sunday’s meeting with NAPSA Stars.
Mumamba acknowledged that the Bankers would need to prepare thoroughly for a Makeni side whose energy and ability to retain possession could pose a challenge, despite their 4-1 defeat to Nkana in their previous match.
“Makeni All Stars is not a pushover team. They are a ball-playing team. They’ve got young players with a lot of energy. So we just have to strategise well so that as we go to play Makeni, we get a win from Makeni before meeting NAPSA on Sunday,” he said.
The ZANACO coach dismissed suggestions that his side would enjoy an advantage because of Makeni’s previous result, insisting that performances on the pitch, rather than past results, would determine the outcome.
“In football, there’s nothing like you have an edge over your opponent. It is how you play on the pitch. The way you apply yourself on the pitch is what determines the result,” he said.
He added that ZANACO must approach the encounter with confidence and impose themselves on their opponents if they are to return to winning ways.
“So we just have to go there with a positive mind and stamp authority as we play Makeni All Stars so that we can get a victory,” he said.
The defeat leaves ZANACO fourth in Stream A with three points from two matches, while Konkola Blades move into second place with six points after maintaining their perfect start to the transitional campaign.
