Following a 4-0 home win over relegated Kitwe United at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on Sunday, Zesco United moved within two points of the 2020/2021 FAZ Super League Championship. Lethal striker Jesse Were scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 drubbing of Kitwe, to break Zanaco’s hearts.
With four matches to go, Zesco regained an eight-point advantage over second-placed Zanaco, with 61. Zanaco have 53 points, with three matches left to play.
A draw against relegation-threatened Napsa Stars in their next home game following the FIFA international match break on June 16 will ensure Zesco are crowned Zambian champions for the eighth time. Zambian fans can bet on the internationals with Betway, the leading betting platform which is also offering a great variety of live casino betting games to their users, as they look forward to the final matches of the domestic league.
Were, Zesco’s hero on Sunday, who scored just his second hat-trick of the season, said they are not taking the luxury of the remaining matches. The Kenyan international is keen to concentrate on the remaining matches to ensure his team wins the title.
“We have to go back to the drawing board, we need to work harder because the last four games are not going to be easy and we will focus and keep on working hard to get the maximum points,” said Were.
The victory came as a huge relief for Zesco, who had fallen 0-3 to Prison Leopards in a mid-week clash played last Wednesday.
Were scored his first of the evening in the eighth minute when he tapped-in a pass from Winston Kalengo on the far-post.
In the 31st minute, the Kenyan attacker exposed Kitwe’s defense, slotting the ball cleverly past goalkeeper Haveson Chingambu.
Kalengo played a one-two with Thabani Kamusoko in the 37th minute to put the game beyond Kitwe United.
Zesco were not done yet. In the 57th minute, Bruce Musakanya laid the ball into Were’s path, allowing him to slice through United’s leaky defense and send the ball past Chingambu for the fourth.
Kitwe United who upset beat Zanaco only seven days ago in Lusaka showed no signs of repeating their giant-killing instincts throughout the match, which made it easy for the hosts to exploit them at will.
Their only real chance fell to Rupert Musonda’s in the 53rd minute, but he could not get past Toaster Nsabata who parried his shot from point-blank range.
Meanwhile, Zesco United coach Mumamba Numba has warned his team against approaching the remaining fixtures with complacency. Following his sides 4-0 demolition of Kitwe United, the coach is all too aware of what could befall his players in the next four matches.
“In the game of football anything can happen so we just have to get back into training and ensure that we prepare for the challenges ahead of us,” Numba said.
“Our message to our players is that we should not relax, it is not yet over until it is over.”
Zesco can wrap the title on June 9 when they host Napsa Stars at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola, provided they win. Napsa are currently in third place on the log. You can bet on the Zambian local league on Betway site, for various markets.
