Zambia will have themselves to blame after they let a one goal lead slip to lose 2 – 1 to a Tunisian side who they had pinned back for most parts of the game.
Zambia were clearly the better side of the first half as they ran at the Tunisians creating chance after chance but failing to find the back of the net with Rainford Kalaba, Lubambo Mosinda and Emmanuel Mayuka all failing to score from clear positions.
Mayuka who was stretched off in the second half was the biggest culprit after he first failed to guide a free header in and moments later fluffed his shot when the ball fell kindly to him after a poor clearance.
Zambia finally made the breakthrough in the second half when skipper Kalaba weaved his way into the area to float a loose ball which was blasted home by Mayuka on the half volley for Zambia to go ahead in the 59th minute.
Mayuka could have added another when impressive Evans Kangwa slipped a beautiful ball for Kalaba whose square ball was just a little ahead of Mayuka at full stretch but he failed to make contact in the process injuring himself.
Immediately after that Tunisia won a corner which Zambia failed to deal with Tunisia to convert at the back post through Ahmed Akaichi in the 70th minute.
Tunisia finished off the contest late on when a counter attack caught Zambia’s defence out of position for Yassine Chikhaoui to head home in the 88th minute.
There were stand out performances from man of the Rainford Kalaba, Lubambo Musonda and Evans Kangwa who tormented the Tunisians through out the game as well a good shift from Chris Munthali.
Zambia’s chance to qualify to the quarter finals now looks dim with only a point from 2 games.
Zambia ended the game with 8 shot on target compared to 3 from the Arabs.
The Chipolopolo will now play Cape Verde in the final group game with a win giving the former champions a mathematical chance of qualifying.
Zambia XI: 16 Kennedy Mweene; 6 Davis Nkausu 4 Christopher Munthali 13 Stopilla Sunzu 18 Emmanuel Mbola ;14 Kondwani Mtonga 15 Given Singuluma 11 Lubambo Musonda 17 Rainford Kalaba ; 12 Evans Kangwa (Mukuka Mulenga) 20 Emmanuel Mayuka (Jackson Mwanza)
Tunisia XI: 16 Aymen Mathlouthi 2 Syam Habib Ben Youssef 3 Aymen Abdenour 5 Rami Bedoui 6 Houcine Ragued 7 Youssef Msakni 9 Yassine Chikhaoui 12 Ali Maaloui 18 Wahbi Khazri 19 Saber Khalifa 21 Jamel Saihi
Sorry guys no Africa cup try next time.Janza spoiled everything.
That what happens when u take strikers who are warming the bench and you have a coach who can not read a game.
Agreed
I hope now all those that call for Kangwa to start now have learned why coaches don’t start some of these youngsters.
Janza should have pushed Given into a striking position and brought on Chisamba when Mayuka got injured, Jackson is a player you bring on to groom into a tournament of this magnitude when you are already leading. He certainly does not have the mantle to win you games.
The substitutions were way off the mark for Janza.
You are showing how mature you are as a man and a blogger.Great observation.Yes 10 minutes to go we needed changes badly and infact after mayuka injury would have been good excuse to change but NO NO NO
Zambia fought a good fight. come back home guys we are in a building phase, Mayuka we have missed you.
Building phase and Bruce Musakanya, Mukuka Mulenga and others will become world beaters in next 3-5 years? Cameroon are rebuilding, so are Tunisia and many other teams! Player selection was just wrong; it was kalus coaching style all over again! Remember 2003!
umwana shufwa aleile namafi kumako,we tod Janza taleufwa nomba atusebanya.
starting lineup looked fine, should been at least 2-0 up before Tunisia woke up. Way better than the first game…
Correct! Way better than the first game. Despite the loss the boys played extremely well. We are ruing those 2-3 chances that chi Mayuka chap fluffed, eish! Now agony is “sembe si sebenza”. Next time boys.
I dont agree with Nazo, today i will defend Janza. He did well, team selection was perfect, Dont be discouraged. i have critised Janza but today it was not just our day. we have lost painfully. its painfull to loose a game you have dominated. the only change Janza needs from the team of today is to rest Mbola, he seems to have difficoulties in clearing the ball, second goal was beacause our Mbola was short and out powered. we just need to change mbola may be Rodrick Kabwe can do better. Thumbs up to Janza and Kalaba
Let’s pray and hope that the next match ends in a draw and both Zambia and Tunisia win the last group game. Amen
ok. am off football for now. goin away. dont know wen i will be back. this loss is toopainful.
WAS THIS PAINFULL THAN THE BLACK STARS LAST MONDAY??..
IT WAS 2.39 MINUTES, AFTER THE REFEREES 3 MINUTES ADDED TO A 90M FULL PLAYING TIME..SENEGAL SCORED Kkekekekekekekeke
God is punishing you for you erratic rants against others.
Hope we qualify with a win over Cape Verde and Tunisia beats Congo
Hahahahahahahaha the pain of a last minute goal.
Imagine if it was Mbesuma, Katongo or Jacob who replaced Mayuka.
A unfit Fwayo much better than what we have seen! The team that played Brazil far stronger than this team!
IFINTU NI LUNGU. WIN OR LOSE
PARADOX —CHILL BUDDY -CHILL IS OVER TODAY, BUT U STILL HAVE ONE MATCH MORE..
can mbesuma,katongo or jacob miss such chances? Kwalikwebele chatile chobe nomba watulwalika imitwe,how do you go with cosafa strikers? Pride ibi.
The look on Kalabas face at the end. Ha. Honestly knowingly we sent the boys to this afcon to be slaughtered and that is shameful. The boys did try and believe for most the game so credit to them!
But they were let down long before.
People we will be unfair if we put the blame on Janza for today’s loss against Tunisia,Janza came came up with a very good line up and a very good system of play to beat Tunisia, but our strikers failed to take advantage of the chances we had in the first half. lets blame Janza for some other reasons not for today’s loss, it missing chances is far beyond any coach’s control,those were ridiculous misses by our striker despite the coach’s efforts.
Kalaba played really well.I feel the Lad.As for mayuka I wish him a speedy recovery.He just lacked the bit of composure infront of Goal.MY oH My Lubambo musonda put up a great performance aswell
very painfull indeed. go to kickoff.com and see how kalaba has been praised. Janza needs to rest Mbola otherwise he has done fantastic today. today i have seen tbr kalaba i know.
Ouch it hurts huh? Don’t worry but hey…karma’s a biatch seen? laughing at Gh wen u has slim chances…
Now look who’s in de calculations stages????
Seriously both Ghana and Zambia don’t deserve to progress at all…our boys are too wasteful
Ghana will pull through if only they can employ the mental strengh they usually display during worldcup.
Lets all toast to Zambia’s wastefullness in front of goal, toast to Mulenga move to chinese second division, toast to chansas move to indonasia, toast to the great sunzus move to china.
kalaba was played in his position that is y he played so good.
If Cape verde win or a draw then we still have a chance,hard luck to the boys this was one of our best games under Janza and its so painful that we let another lead slip out of our hands
If Cape verde win or draw then we still have a chance,hard luck to the boys this was one of our best games under Janza and its so painful that we let another lead slip out of our hands
Congo must win, so that they and tunisia play for a draw last match kikiki…Janza you are my hero.
Mayuka is a useless striker(same goes out to evans). The only 4 things gud abt mayuka are;
1. Running around like a decapited chicken
2 always caught in offside positions like a thief in broad day light
3 ukanyafye ifusushi(puffing) like some old dude poping blood pressure pills throughout 90 min
4 and the chap is so lazy that if he had three hands he ‘ll still put the other in his pocket!!
Useless benchwarmer!!!
Kalu must give the great janza a lifetime contract.
honestly, I seriously didn’t see any wrong with the couch. the team played well but where just wasteful. I am a Ghanaian and have fallen in love with Zambia’s style of play. woowwww, what a match!!! Good luck against cape Verde. …..
better luck nexttime….these north african’s strategy is crazy… let the opponent attack and sweattheir ass out(just like South africa). They make sure they don’t concede much and appear weak. Later bring in more power towards the end of the game against a weak opponent and turn the game around..
Ba Zambia nalelo ba lusa fipuba iyeeeeee fipuba.Now I just hope DRC beat Cape Verde so that DRC and TUNISIA plays a boring 0-0 drew while Kalusha Janza nation team plays a meaningless game against Cape Verde.They should soon join Us watching the game on the screen.
This what you pay for when you take a bunch of small boys a big competition like the AFCON. A game that the team could have won by 5 or 6 goals and they end up losing in the end!PATHEIC!
So true…I nearly screamed my throat out when mayuka was missing all those chances. I mean seriously. My black stars were also so poor on monday. Pray for a draw in the on going match so u can have a chance at qualification.
this same thing that happened to you in 2013 is happening again, you will get knock out in the group stage again.. hope zambians will wake up now and realise this is 2015 no more 2012…..
It just was not our day, our boys put up a fight and showed determination, but that last touch, that last touch we could not finish, just unluck. I don’t think anyone with a right mind would think our strikers where missing those chances on purpose, its just lack of poacher instinct, I do know though that Chris Katongo or Zemule would have buried all those begging chances. Let us all save ourselves some headache and start afresh by first firing useless Kalu that has failed to give us a great foreign coach that can read a game.
Kalu thinks ahead, he knows there is nothing the public or any news paper can do to him, he feels untouchable, his only fear is the current investigations for corruption being carried out by the ACC but to cover his tracks,he has made a donation to the opposition and his brother Anthony Kasolo is in govt therefore he feels safe and is planing on unveiling the Mexican as your new coach!
It’s been long since i saw Zambia dominate a game so much and create countless chances to score even 10 goals but end up losing!
When I said we needed Keshi, idiots where telling me we should support our own, Keshi with Zambia Talent and support from Faz would win a cup and take to the world cup. The reason why Nigeria failed to make is that NFF were jealous of Keshi’s success and hated him, never supported him financially.
Why can’t Kalu just get a heartattack and be gone? I know that’s too extreme and maybe irresponsible, but this egocentric idiot is destroying Zambian football. When is it enough of this garbage? We have the talent, but we have no leadership and coaches, that’s all.
Chris Katongo is upset because he realizes this was his last chance to cement his legend and Kalu knew it! When John Terry lost the captaincy for sleeping with a teammates girl friend, he was simply demoted not dropped! En route to the Afcon Kalu removed Harry Milanzi from the team at the last minute at the airport and denied him the opportunity to build on his last successful outing at the Afcon. This Afcon is an open affair; Cameroon are still raw, Ivory Coast are shakey, Ghana aren’t strong, Tunisia are weak, the Zambian team that played Brazil would have stood a very good chance of winning this Afcon! Kalu as a player was given every chance to prove himself; he had the best of support off and on the field! He was even allowed to pitch up on the day of the match minus training! His closet of scandals from L sporto, the American outing fiasco, claims of clipping players money, the Qatar world cup bid scandal, the 2013 fake faz sponsored national team kit, the current coaching debacles, kalu has to go!
Thank you
Kudos for not playing careless Chisamba though.
I have been a fierce critic of Janza’s selection and formation from the qualifiers up to the last game against Congo, but today his selection and tactics were spot on. Evans Kangwa proved to be a far better option than Ronald Kampamba. He worked his socks off and even though he fluffed his chance, he helped plug the hole that had been there in midfield when Satesate was playing. He brought fighting spirit and pace. Lubambo Musonda showed that even though Chisamba Lungu is a gifted and skilful player, he is quite static and lacks cutting edge. Lubambo was direct, pacy and caused the Tunisians problems. KondwaniMtonga brought some qualities which Nathan Sinkala does not possess. He brought mobility to our midfield, he outdid Sinkala in terms of variation of passess, especially his ability to alternate long and short passes, but most importantly he won many aerial balls allowing our midfield to play. He dominated the airspace in midfield. I have always stated that playing Kalaba wide is a waste of his talent. Today, Kalaba played in the middle and we saw how devastating he can be in the centre of midfield. Janza had the formation right even though we lost. Mayuka missed so many chances and that is the reason we did not win today.
All the Chipolopolo field players job well done , it is clearly this so called Coach don’t read the game , honestly in the first game Kennedy Mweene showed that he is not capable of being the 1st choice Gokeeper ; watch the replays and see how he was failing to catch useless small shots, same applies to today’s two all are because of his waste form .” WHERE IS DANNY MUNYAO” Let us not shy away from the fact DON’T Play names? Of course we appreciate what K.Mweene have done for Our Country but now is lost it. PUT Players who are Hungary to market their names.
Chris katongo ,mbesuma r idiots…I’d rather watch young lubambo lose than watch an old big headed idiot in jersey number 11..he is finished And cudnt humble himself and Apologise..u expected janza to plead 4 sum1 wh ddnt show remorse bt instead was blaming janza 4 failing 2 manage his ego…let’s not act like mbesuma ws n katongo were messis of this world…katongo never scored a goal last tournament,mbesuma scored 1..Jacob is finished..period!!! Elo iwe kay hammer buy a suit and go coach zambia,u tok too much bt usually rubbish
imwe naimwe u can’t compare munyau to mweene….that’s an insult
So a guy is blamed for not getting any shots on target and the day he does and still manages to score, we still cry foul. Classic Zed supporters. Am personally pleased that we managed to create the chances we created. Tough lucky, but overall a good shift from the guys. God bless Zambia.
In life we all have opportunities, it is how we execute them what determines our destiny.In football if you do not take your chances you get panished that is exactly what happened to us and Bafana.I am not bitter because we had a very ,very ,very good game that the Eagles should even be counting their lucky stars they won it.We just have to start with the same spirit in the Cape Verde game then we are in the quarters.Now I know why Mayuka is warming the the bench,honestly all he had to do was slid in and the ball would have hit his left thigh and guided in the goal not UKUPANDUKA that is why he injured himself.