Zambia U23 coach Fighton Simukonda has commended his team for a good display against the Nigerians, but stated that there was still work to do.
According to a correspondent in Abuja Nigeria, Simukonda acknowledged that the Nigerian team is a good team but stated that they will pay for having failed to take their chances at home.
“We have to go home and work, the Nigerian team is a good team and they played well, we also played well, in football if you don’t use your chances it is bye bye,” Simukonda said.
Nairaland Sports reports that his Nigerian counterpart Samson Siasia however remained confident that his team will pick maximum points in Zambia and didn’t spare striker Oghenekaro Etebo who missed several chances.
“You all saw what (Etebo) was trying to do. He tried to go for glory rather than pass to a teammate.
“All the same, if they (Zambia) could come here and get a draw, we could go there and beat them 2-0. We
are not going to relent; we will give our best in thesecond leg.
“We did very well. We kept possession and created chances in the first half.
“The fact that we did not score today (on Sunday) does not mean this is a bad team. We only have to improve
in our finishing,” Siasia said at the post-match press conference.
Zambia picked a vital away point on Sunday evening in Nigeria in the All Africa games qualifier despite the hosts dominating play for long periods but will still need to collect maximum points at home to qualify in two weeks’ time.
This was the first game for Zambia in the Congo All Africa games qualifiers while Nigeria overcame Gabon in a two legged affair.
Luck was just not on our side yesterday… Dominated from the beginning to the end, Nice one from zambia though…
Advice to our zambian friends wait till 11/04/2015 to know whether naija is overhyped or not!!!!!!
Nigeria..2015 AYC champion.
World cup group–
Nigeria
Brazil
Hungary
North korea…
Easy Group for the Nigerian Brothers go and make Africa proud
There is a saying : Ecce quam bonum et iuncundum, fratres, habitare in Unum.
It brings a smile on my face when we treat each other like brothers and with goodwill. Wish Zambia the best and you too, brother Justice.
Zambia in 2015
Nations cup, Group exit.
U17 cup, Group exit
U20 cup, Group exit
Zambia in 2015
Nations cup, Group exit
U17 african cup, Group exit
U20 african cup, Group exit
U23 qualifiers…….Denied qualification by Nigeria (In progress)
Nigeria in 2015
Nations cup….Did not qualify
U17 african cup…….Semi finalist
U20 African cup……Winner
U23 qualifiers……Thrasher zambia in the return leg and qualified (In progress)
Still hard work boys in the return leg …go Zambia go!
Overhyped Nigeria haha
Ba Mudala imwe awe. Have we qualified for you to “haha”? You are the reason these west Africans come here to start nonsense, because you are selling crap by the boatload.
word!!!! positive.
@mumbi,and zambia is under hyped and first round exit expert
Zambia is useless when it drops to football.
Bless
ghanaboy, can’t u consentrate on licking the wounds Mozambique inflicted on overhyped ghana?
lol,am not surprise..what is the assurance that mozambique will not lose in ghana in the 2nd leg?
you lack insight in football and as usual,you will curse faz after the 2nd leg..if a low team like zambia can pick a point away,then what shows that a great team like nigeria cannot thrash you in zambia? know that a goal draw will eliminate you so naija stand a chance of putting you at your place.
yes I am not surprise yaba
is this site for boko harams or darkies
egwugwu. that is harsh. I dont agree with you on the boko horam part but i agree with u on the darkies part
How old are some of those U20 and U17 players at birth? Are they also born when they are at Zero?
Anyway, that aside, we shall keep on improving and playing. Its up to those who think they are the owners of African Football to keep beating us.
News on my U-20 jare
Manu Garba—– My Team Is The Future Of Nigeria Football
Victorious coach of the Nigeria Under-17 team Manu Garba, says his team made up of only two players from the Nigeria Premier League is the future of Nigeria football, after a 1-0 victory over Senegal gave them the trophy at the Africa Youth Championship.
Manu Garba expressed his joy at winning the championship twice, once as a player in 1983 and now as a coach, also tagged Bernard Bulbwa audacious volley as the goal of the tournament.
“I feel elated and great, I was part of the team that won the same competition in 1983, as a player and I am now happy to win it as a coach” He said.
“The difference is the goal of the tournament which was scored by number 7 Bernard Bulbwa, this team is the future of Nigeria football we have only two players from the Nigeria Premier League the rest are from academies, which is a good sign for the development of Nigeria Football”
Respects to you coach… 3 consecutive finals(Africa U-17, Fifa U-17 and now AYC) with 2 victories is not bad at all.. Next for you is the fifa Under-20 final in New zealand, continue to groom your boys for 2018 world cup and Afcon 2019. I hope you will be the coach that will lead Naija to these tournaments.
Only 2 professional players participated in the AYC team for us, the rests are academy players 4rm local Academies in Nigeria.. Not a single foreign based player, what will now happen when the best legs join the team for the World cup in New zealand hmmmmmmm!!!!!…
Good job
PREMIUM TIMES OF NIGERIA ROPORTS: NIGERIA U23 VS ZAMBIA U23
The Dream Team failed to scored in Sunday’s first leg qualifier and have a great deal of work to do when they go to Lusaka
The Nigeria U23 side was held to a goalless draw by Zambia at the National Stadium, Abuja in their All Africa Games qualifying match.
It leaves the Dream Team with a lot to do when they visit Lusaka in a fortnight.
Fighton Simukonda’s side remained resolute throughout the encounter as his boys withstood the firepower of the Nigerians who could not pierce the Zambian defence despite scoring six past Gabon in the previous round.
After the game, coach Samson Siasia vowed to win the return leg in Lusaka to qualify for the 2015 All Africa Games.
“We just need to get our acts together to make sure we prepare better and do well in front of the goal in the second leg,” Siasia said.
“The boys, however, played very well, they kept possession but failed to score goals. I think they did better than the last game they played here against Gabon. So they have improved.
“Because we didn’t score today does not mean that they are a bad team, they are a good team. It’s just that the connection didn’t work out today but hopefully when we get to Zambia it will.
“I am disappointed that we couldn’t score. We created good chances in the first half and second half too but we couldn’t score any. I am also disappointed that we didn’t win today’s game.
“Why I have the confidence that we will beat Zambia to qualify for the All Africa Games is when you look at the Zambians you can ask how many chances did they create? I think it’s just one or two. My players played from their heart. So I don’t think the game is over. We will go [to Lusaka] and create chances and try to bury them in the second leg,” Siasia assured.
Zambian coach Simukonda said his team came with a plan and tactics which was to frustrate the Nigerians and it worked out perfectly well.
He also disclosed that their plans were to beat the Nigerian team or better still get a draw which they got eventually.
“We knew that the Nigerian team will come out to attack us so we prepared to defend and defend well which we did. Our plan was to frustrate them so that if we get a draw here we will go back home and finish the job. The Nigerian team had chances but they lost their chances. In football if you don’t use your chances it is over,” Simukonda said.
“We actually came here to win or better still frustrate the Nigerian team and use counter attack to score.”
But he warned that the Nigerian team is a good side that can also get a result in Zambia in the second leg.
“In the second leg anything can happen in football. If Nigeria prepare well, good luck for them. But this time around we [will be] playing at home in front of our home supporters. So I don’t see Nigeria beating us,” he boasted.
Easy before we eat our own gabbage. For Zambia it is wait and see
The Dream Team failed to scored. Yabipa ko The Dream Team failed to scored
Ba coach don’t just work hard but try to play this coming game wisely.you allow a goal you are doomed.tell your youngsters to aim for a straight win.
Spot on, you hit the nail on its head. why don’t we a million people like you on this site
Thanks ba justice
are you new to this site?
Yes papa,but am always on this site reading your comments and i like the way you articulate issues.
Indeed it is let’s wait and see,there is ninty minutes to deal with for us to celebrate.
are u new to this site?
so do you think allowing your women to sleep with chinese will make you white? yes we are proud of our complexion that is why we have black in any of our national team names,ranging from black satellites to black shark.melcom x said “black is beautiful”..anyway,we are not even talking of your head shapes
Including black magic stars ?
As usual, naija ll come and toast up these bunch of AMATEURS!
But they failed to do that in Abuja. We shall use home ground advantage and qualify. I don’t accept the nosense that we should lose hope just bcoz of poor perfomances by our senior team, u-17 & u-20. I shall still support our teams even in difficult times & no west african can stop me including @ positive thinking.
@Mumbi..No west African is stopping you from supporting your team, you should rather learn to support your team and humble yourself with teams that have achieved more than Zambia. Numbers don’t lie and the FACT is West African Countries have lifted more trophies than any southern African country conbined..so you should rather learn from them instead of raining insults on them.
What Simukonda says is true. Otherwise it may go to these young boys that since they drew in Nigeria, they will automatically win here in Zambia. Awe tefyo chaba.
I was watching an international Friendly last night and Uganda whacked Nigeria right there in Nigeria.
I think the time for home ground advantage is long gone, this is a global world and our U23 should take this game more serious than the one in Nigeria.