• YOU ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE: Red Arrows defender Roderick Zimba tackles Zanaco forward Augustine Mulenga from behind as Red Arrows captain Jimmy Chisenga charges in from the front. This was in an MTN-FAZ Week 13 Super League game at Sunset Stadium in Lusaka. Zanaco won 2-0. Picture courtesy of ALLAN MATIYA

By SANDRA MWILA, GWEN CHIPASULA and ADRIAN MWANZA –

CHIPOLOPOLO coach Goerge Lwandamina has described the international friendly match against Togo as a big learning curve for his players whom he said made a lot of mistakes.
Speaking in a post-match interview, Lwandamina said the match was a perfect gauge before the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier against Guinea-Bissau in Bissau.
“The Togo friendly was a good preparatory game for the Guinea-Bissau qualifier. The players made a number of mistakes and failed to make use of the scoring opportunities that came their way but I am sure lessons have been leant,” Lwandamina said.
While regretting the loss, he attributed the poor performance to the artificial turf.
Adding his voice to this was FAZ president Andrew Kamanga who said fans should not bite too much into the loss as it was just a preparatory game.
He said this should galvanise the Chipolopolo and forge a better performance so that they beat Guinea-Bissau in the crucial Group E Africa Cup qualifier away.
Zambia lost to Togo in Lome by a lone goal after striker Mathieu Dossevi scored in the 22nd minute in an international friendly ahead of the crucial encounter against Guinea-Bissau on June 4.
He said the Chipolopolo would pick lessons from the loss and use them to their advantage against Guinea-Bissau when the two teams clash.
“It is unfortunate that we lost to Togo but this was just a preparatory match which we are using to check how our players are ready for the crucial game. We lost yes, but we obviously noticed a few areas that need propping,” he said.
Kamanga expressed optimism that the Chipolopolo would beat Guinea-Bissau away despite them standing higher than Zambia on the Group E log.
“I’m sure we are going to beat Guinea-Bissau because we are a good team and also that we would have learnt from the two preparatory matches against Togo and the one we shall play against the Gambia,” he said.
He urged the boys to remain focused if they were to keep the country’s hopes of qualifying for the Gabon 2017 AFCON.
And Gambia coach Sang Ndong has picked his final 24-member team to face Zambia in tomorrow’s friendly match to be played at Independence Stadium in the Gambia.
Ndong will use the same team when South Africa come calling in an AFCON qualifier to be played on June 4, the same day Zambia faces Guinea-Bissau.
Gambia are in Group M together with Mauritius, Cameroon and South Africa.
Ndong’s team has Modou Jobe, Alagie Nyabally, Christopher Allen, Mass Manga, Bubaccarr Sanneh, Matarr Ceesay, Mamadi Ngum, Nuha Barrow and Lamin Jarrow.
Others are Kabba Sambou, Alieu Jatta, Muhammed Conteh, Lamin Charty, Emil Sambou, Gregory Sambou, Bubacarr Trawally, Omar Colley, Pa Amat Dibba and Yusupha Njie.