ZANACO WIN KUDOS
ZANACO FC coach Numba Mumamba has hailed his team for increasing their chances of progressing to the group stage of the CAF Confederations Cup after stunning Cano Sport Academy 3-1 in a first leg pre group stage match played on Sunday night in Equatorial Guinea. Speaking in a post-match interview, Mumamba said the Bankers will have to stay focused ahead of the return leg fixture to be played on Saturday in Lusaka. Mumamba expressed delight that the Bankers managed to get a crucial win despite playing on a slippery pitch which made it difficult for the Zambians to play in the early stages of the game. “It was tough playing Cano Academy, even the conditions of the pitch affected our team but we managed to account for ourselves very well and managed to get a 3-1 lead away from home which is good for us.
“We must not sit on it, this is water under the bridge, we just have to get back to work and prepare the team for the return-leg. The team we played is a good side and we shouldn’t underrate them,” Mumamba said. Mumamba is not worried with the injury to influential midfielder Tafadwa Rusike who was withdrawn after suffering an injury. “Most of the players have developed minor injuries and it is due to the poor condition of the pitch which contributed to those minor injuries but the doctors are working to make sure that the players are ready for the return leg,” he said. Meanwhile, team captain Ziyo Tembo said the 3-1 win over Cano Sports has motivated Zanaco going into the return leg. Tembo said Zanaco played as a team to get the crucial win which has given the Bankers the much needed advantage ahead of the second leg. Despite the threats by bad lighting at Estadio de Malabo, Zanaco managed to secure a stunning away win thanks to goals from Tembo and Guily Manziba. The impressive away victory by Zanaco against Cano Sport was nearly overshadowed by bad floodlights at the stadium. Tembo's first-half strike and a brace in the second-half by Guily Manziba were enough as the Bankers cruised to a 3-1 win over their Equatorial Guinea opponents.