By MOSES  CHIMFWEMBE  –
Sewe 3 Nkana 0
NKANA bowed out of the CAF 2014 Confederation Cup after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Sewe Sport of Ivory Coast in the final Group B match played at the Stade Augustine Denise in Abidjan yesterday.
The Zambian champions went into the game needing a win or a draw to make history by qualifying to the semi-finals of the competition but failed to threaten allowing their hosts to toy around with them to score three unanswered goals to dump them out of the competition.
Al Ahly drew with Etoile du Sahel to win the group on nine points same as Sewe with Nkana on seven while Sahel finished the campaign on six points.
This particular clash, watched by former Chipolopolo coach Herve Renard and his assistant Patrice Beaumelle, saw the home side start the game on a threatening note as they exerted pressure on Nkana’s backline marshalled by experienced defender Billy Mwanza.
Hermann Kouao, Joseph Kameni and Roger Assale scored a goal each to deprive Nkana of a historical spot in the last four of the second tier continental championship.
With 10 minutes on the clock, Sewe were in the driving seat thanks to a Kouao header after beating Nkana goalkeeper Rabson Mucheleng’anga and defender Derrick Mwansa to the aerial ball.
Sensing danger, Nkana rediscovered their rhythm but could not penetrate the Sewe defence as the game went into half time with 1-0 advantage to the home side.
The second half started with Sewe looking sharper than the Zambian side with Assale constantly causing trouble on the defensive trio of Maybin Chishimba, Mwanza and Noel Phiri.
And as Nkana were pressing for an equaliser after restart, calamity struck when Kameni doubled the lead with a powerful shot in the 48th minute thanks to some good work by Assale forcing Nkana coach Beston Chambeshi to make a change introducing Claude Bwalya and exciting Shareck Musonda in a bid to stabilise the midfield.
But the move could not change matters as Assale skipped past Mwanza to bury the ball past
Mucheleng’anga in 73rd minute to dent Nkana’s hopes of a comeback.
Striker Ronald ‘Sate Sate’ Kampamba had good scoring chances in the closing stages of the game but Sewe had already done the damage.
Meanwhile, MTNfootball reports that Al Ahly progressed to the semi-finals of the 2014 CAF Confederations Cup despite playing to a 1-1 draw against Etoile du Sahel at the Cairo International Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The result was enough to seal a spot in the last four for the Red Devils as they finished at the top of Group B with nine points.
Despite all their efforts, Etoile were unable to break the deadlock and as a result they finished at the bottom of the table with six points.
Al Ahly went into the game with a depleted squad due to injuries but Juan Carlos Garrido’s men did enough to seal a semi-final berth.