|By Angela Bambala Bwalya
Scottish-based forward Chanka Zimba says making his senior debut for Zambia was a special moment, despite the team’s 5–0 loss to Argentina national football team on Tuesday night.
The striker came off the bench in the 61st minute to replace captain Fashion Sakala in Buenos Aires, describing the experience as both exciting and educational.
“I was really excited. It was a big moment for me,” Zimba said. “The result wasn’t great, but it was good to be on the pitch and try to make a difference. It wasn’t meant to be today, but I’ll take a lot of learning from it.”
Despite the scoreline, Zimba insisted the squad approached the match with the right mindset and energy.
“We were excited to play. There was a good atmosphere and the fans were great, but we’re just not happy with the result,” he added.
Zimba believes the game could have taken a different turn had Zambia capitalised on their limited chances.
“If we had scored, it could have been a different game. They have very good quality and they showed it. We just have to move on to the next one.”
Facing the world champions also highlighted key areas for improvement.
“We need to be more compact. It’s difficult when they have so much of the ball, but we have to keep working hard. Their passing is very good, and that’s something we need to learn from. We’ve already spoken about it in the dressing room and we’re eager to improve.”
Argentina dominated proceedings from the start, with Lionel Messi pulling the strings throughout. First-half goals from Julián Álvarez and Messi gave the hosts control, before Nicolás Otamendi added a third from the penalty spot early in the second half.
An own goal by Dominic Chanda made it four, and substitute Valentín Barco completed the scoring with the final kick of the match.
Zambia’s best chance fell to Kingstone Mutandwa, whose long-range effort was superbly denied by goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez.
