Under-23 Arrive, Msiska Hopeful

7 June 2011

THE vanquished Zambia Under-23 soccer team arrived home yesterday, with coach Lucky Msiska reiterating that his team would qualify for the final round of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Msiska said he would beef up the squad, which lost 3-0 on Friday in the first leg, with other foreign-based players that remained with senior team that thumped Mozambique 3-0 in a 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifier.

The former international said on arrival at Lusaka International Airport that not all was lost as the Algerians were beatable after they were “outplayed” by his charges without doing what mattered most in football: score goals.

Msiska said he was looking at reinforcing his squad with the likes of Justin Zulu, Emmanuel Mbola, Emmanuel Mayuka and Rodger Kola, and would see who else was eligible to play for the Under 23 team.

“We need everyone who qualifies to join the team as we prepare for Algeria because we have to do everything within our means to ensure we qualify, and am more than certain we shall do it because the Algerian team is beatable,” he said.

Msiska said the team regroups on Wednesday in Lusaka ahead of the return leg set for Nchanga Stadium in Chingola on June 19.

And delegation leader, Marsha Chilemena poured high praise on the team whom he said played “fantastic football” and creating about seven scoring chances.

Chilemena said he had no doubt that Zambia would beat Algeria because the team played extremely well unlike what the score line reflected.

“We have a good team, you can talk of Fwayo Tembo, Richard Kasonde, Cosmas Kabaza and so on. The boys played very well but it was just a pity that we could not score. We have a chance of beefing up the squad with other players and I am sure the coaches have already worked on who they would get,” he said.

Chilemena assured Zambians not to write off the future Chipolopolo team as they had what it took to score four unanswered goals at home and sail through to the next stage.

AllAfrica – All the Time