Defending champions Green Buffaloes Fc have been knocked out of the 2016 Barclays Cup tournament at the quarter final stage after they were beaten 2 – 1 by an efficient Power Dynamos.
In the only match in the tournament played at Nkoloma stadium in Lusaka Green buffaloes took on a Power Dynamos team that had destroyed them when the two teams met in Kitwe in a league encounter barely a week ago.
Dynamos were looking to exert revenge on green buffaloes who had knocked them out of the competition at the same stage last season on post-match penalties while Green buffaloes were looking to repeat the heroics of last season as they hoped to get their title defense underway.
It was the Kitwe team that started the brighter of the two sides and rightly so took the lead on 10 minutes when Patson “Papa” Daka beat the on rushing Buffaloes goalie to the ball as he headed home to give Power the lead.
Power continued to press as Buffaloes could not find a way out of their own half as the Kitwe side piled on the pressure.
Kennedy Mudenda who had been a constant thorn in the Buffaloes flesh then made it two nil as he left the Buffaloes defenders for dead before squeezing the ball past the Buffaloes goal as Power made it two nil.
Buffaloes were largely outplayed in the first half of the match and had no moment of note the entire 45 minutes plus.
Quick changes by the Buffaloes technical bench on the resumption of the 2nd half saw the Army sponsored side creep back into the game as the introduction of veteran Allan Mukuka provided a lot more purpose in the buffaloes attack.
The pressure eventually paid dividends as the ever dangerous Lottie Phiri slotted home to bring Buffaloes who until that moment seemed a spent force back into the game.
It was a true reflection of a game of two halves as Green Buffaloes had the better second half as they chased the game.
Allan Chibwe in the Power goal was called upon several times to keep the scores in his teams favor.
It was a master class performance from Benson Sakala rightly earned the Power midfielder a man of the match award.
There was an appearance by long term Power Dynamos absentee Jimmy Ndhlovu who came on for Luka Lungu in the dying stages of the match.
2 – 1 was how it finished in favor of the Kitwe outfit who march on to the semi-finals as Buffaloes go back to the drawing board to try and arrest their slump in form.
With the defending champions already knocked out of the competition we are guaranteed to have new Barclays cup champion this year.
Zesco United and Konkola Blades will battle it out for the final semi final slot.
With two Copperbelt teams already going through to the Semis and another one guaranteed to join them… Who is your money on to be crowned 2016 Barclays cup champions and can Zanaco stop the Copperbelt teams from taking the crown to the Copperbelt being the only midlands team left in the competition?
Whatever the case the competition promises to throw up some interesting fixtures that will have every soccer fan on the edge of their seats!
By Brighton Munwa
Wen is zambia playing niaja?.
we shall dununa them jst like E…. dununad H….
9/10/2016…
09/10/2016
kale pa zamfoot. Patson has found seems to have found himself and the his coach has mentored him to be fearless and sharp .wish him the best of luck.