From SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –

in Rubavu
THE Chipolopolo yesterday shifted base from Rubavu to Kigali with captain Christopher Katongo urging the squad not to get carried away by qualifying to the last eight of the Rwanda 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN).
Speaking in an interview before departure for Kigali, Katongo said Zambia would take a game at a time and avoid getting ahead of themselves following two straight victories in Group D.
“Yes we have qualified for the quarter-finals but we shall not be thinking about that now. Instead, we have Mali to deal with and that is where all our minds will be.
“I can tell you that we have struggled against Mali, especially in Bamako, but we shall be lifted here because this is a neutral venue and they can’t hold an upper hand. So that’s where our minds will be focused for now,” Katongo said.
Zambia will on Wednesday take on Mali in the last Group D match having already qualified but will need to avoid defeat to top the group against the second-placed West Africans.
Katongo said such tournaments were long and the best way to deal with them was to remain focused and not allow pressure to get to one’s head.
He said it was good Zambia had managed to get out of the group with a game to spare but that there was still an issue of trying to finish as group winners, a matter that Mali was also chasing.
“We are happy we qualified to the quarter-finals but the truth is that we have a long way to go. We shall take one game at a time until we reach the final. It’s exciting prospects but truth is that we still have a fight ahead of us,” Katongo said.
Katongo said it felt good to finally give the country something to smile about after a miserable 2015 that saw Zambian football embarrassed with first-round elimination at continental tournaments.
He said the continent even started to underrate Zambia but that how well the Chipolopolo performed at this tournament would send a signal about the team’s strength.