The Zambia Under-23 national team have bowed out of the race to the London 2012 Olympic Games football tournament qualifiers despite beating 10-man Algeria 2-0 at home in Chingola at Nchanga Stadium today.
Zambia exit the qualifiers 3-2 on aggregate after earlier losing 3-0 away in the first leg played in Algiers on June 3.
And now the future of Zambia Under-23 coach Lucky Msiska, who was in the last team to ever qualify to the Olympics in South Korea that reached the quarterfinals of the 1988 tournament, is in question after failing to guide the team for both the Olympics and 2011 All-Africa Games.
Meanwhile, Zambia took the lead in the 8th minute through Arab Contractors striker Venecious Mapande who benefitted from a cross from Henry Banda.
Cautious Algeria sat back for most parts of the game as Zambia laboured to try and conjure a dramatic upset at home in their bid to keep their Olympic dreams alive.
The second goal came in the 80th minute through Power Dynamos striker Alex Ngonga.
Shortly thereafter, Algerian defender Khelili Sofiane of NA Hussein Dey was sent off for decent.
Then two minutes deep into time added on at the end of the 90 minutes, Mapande failed to lay claim to a brace that would have taken the tie to a penalty decider before hopes were dashed for Msiska’s team.
Bad lucky junior chipolopolo you will do it next time. Don’t condemn the coach and Msisika should continue coaching under 23 team.
:(( 2 bad go 2da drawing board n do yo homework guys
No ways Msiska talks too much. He should be fired!
the coach needs to be replaced, he cannot deliver. let the national team coach takeover or the man with the u20
Bring back Patrick Phiri on the choaching bench. We don’t want experiments.
Palibe vamene banachita ba Patrick Phiri There is nothing he will do!
too little…too late
Football is business and you need to invest in it. We have not taken football seriously in Zambia and there is no way Lucky Msisika can be blamed for the poor performance of the boys. The game has so much been concentrated along the line of rail leaving potential players in other parts of the nation. Unless we get to the grassroots we shall never prosper so far as football is concerned in this country. We can have the best coach hired in the name of Jose Mourinho and the likes but as long as we do not sow the seed twakula lobafye ilyauma lyonse. no need to blame the innocent lads. If the whole lot of this country there is no serious stadium why expect a miracle from the boys? Viva Msisika.
AS USUAL THE MISTAKES WERE IN THE FIRST LEG,WELL DONE ANYWAY.MAPANDE WELL DONE.GREAT PLAYER.THE SKY IS THE LIMIT
Msiska lacked skilled u 23 players as the senior national team depended heavily on them, the dates for the junior and senior teams’ matches coincided hence the big reason why the Msiska led team was deprived of talented players on make occasions. A good coach without good players can not succeed. Viva Lucky Msiska..
Tough luck guys. I believe we missed up in Algiers. However let us not fire the coach and let us just rebuild the team and generally as a nation invest in youth soccer
We shall continue employing foreign coaches bcoz of the some same disapointments from our ZED coaches ,twalipelako inshita balwandamina nabena balibewile balaba inchito and this one, msiska, must go bralishichi.
Veli tulu veli tulu fellow soka fan
Chachine Msiska talks like Jose Mourinho and performs like Wesley Mondo. Just fire him. Coaches must know they should be paid according to their performance!