Zambia upset upbeat Bafana

‘Copper Bullets’ burst Baxter’s bubble after double strike

ZAMBIA burst Stuart Baxter’s bubble as Chipolopolo claimed a comefrom-behind 2-1 win against South Africa at the Moruleng Stadium last night.

Lebogang Manyama’s 23rd minute score was cancelled out by Brian Mwila’s 72nd minute equaliser before Lubinda Mundia bundled in the winner seven minutes later.

Baxter fielded an experimental side with a new back four that held out well in the first half before fading in the second stanza. However, Baxter can be happy with the fact the attackers he fielded showed intent despite their profligacy in front of goal.

Manyama showed why he’s been the flavour of the season when he nodded in a well-weighted Kermit Erasmus cross from the left. Manyama collected the man of the match award despite the defeat.

Aside from Tiyani Mabunda’s 15th-minute long range shot that went narrowly wide of Allan Chibwe’s goal, opportunities were few and far between for both sides.

One thing the teams didn’t lack was physicality and, at times, Zimbabwean match official Nomore Musundire was loath to punish the players. Only one yellow card to Zambian captain Donashano Malamu was brandished and that was also for a two-footed tackle that could have received worse punishment in a competitive match.

However, South Africa created the better chances through Erasmus and Percy Tau, but those opportunities were not converted. The fact that South African enjoyed 63% of the possession despite their lone goal spoke of the dominance they exerted in the half.

Even though Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets) coach Wedson Nyirenda made a raft of substitutions throughout the game, his side hardly lost their shape and tested reserve goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who replaced Darren Keet. Before Mwila equalised, Malamu forced Willliams into an excellent 55th minute save.

That proved to be the trending theme and Rivaldo Coetzee and Lorenzo Gordinho struggled to gel as a back-up centre back combination. It was the case when Zambia equalised as the defence expected Zambia to weave through the defence. With the unexpected space, Mwila unleashed a scorcher from just outside the box that beat Williams via his near post.

The visitors then took the lead seven minutes later through Mundia as the hosts again battled to deal with Zambia’s smart passing. Gordinho was at fault as he failed to pick up his man and Mundia chipped past the advancing Williams.

● Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo faces a lawsuit filed yesterday by Spain’s prosecutor’s office in Madrid for allegedly defrauding Spanish tax authorities of million (R210-million) between 2011 and 2014.

The prosecutor’s office said in a statement that the Real Madrid forward had knowingly used a business structure created in 2010 to allegedly hide his image rights income in Spain. This involved a “voluntary” failure to comply with his tax obligations in Spain, the statement from the office’s economic crimes section said.

Real Madrid declined to comment and calls to the agency representing Ronaldo, Gestifute, went unanswered. — Additional reporting by Reuters