Zambia national team Chipolopolo suffered a 5-0 loss to world champions Argentina in an international friendly played at the iconic La Bombonera in Buenos Aires.
Head coach George Lwandamina admitted that conceding an early goal disrupted Zambia’s game plan and made it difficult for his side to settle into the match.
“We conceded very early and that made things difficult for us. Playing against a highly tactical side like Argentina, you need to be organised from the start,” Lwandamina said.
The Chipolopolo trainer, however, felt the scoreline did not fully reflect the balance of play especially that Zambia had spells where they managed to come out of their shell and threaten the Argentine goal.
“There were moments where we showed character and created some threats, but we need to improve our organisation, stay compact and be more aggressive so that we can force mistakes from opponents,” he added.
Lwandamina also cited individual errors as a major factor in the defeat, stating that the team gifted the hosts goals. “At this level, you cannot afford to make such mistakes because you will be punished. These are important lessons for us going forward.”
Chipolopolo captain Fashion Sakala backed the coach’s sentiments and accepted that the team’s tactical approach was undone by the early goal. “Our plan was to contain them in the opening stages, but conceding in the third minute disturbed our structure. They are a very technical side and that early goal made things difficult for us,” Sakala said.
Debutant striker Chanka Zimba described the experience as a proud moment despite the result.
