Soccer legend says Nkana, Eagles can still progress

GRACE CHAILE-LESOETSA writes @SunZambian WITH chances of Green Eagles qualifying to the next round of the Confederation Cup seemingly bleak, Zambian legend Fred Mwila Senior still believes the Aggrey Chiyangi-tutored side can overturn the 0-2 deficit in Cameroon. Mwila Sr, the former national team coach, said Nkana equally have a good chance of qualifying to […]

Soccer legend says Nkana, Eagles can still progress
GRACE CHAILE-LESOETSA writes @SunZambian WITH chances of Green Eagles qualifying to the next round of the Confederation Cup seemingly bleak, Zambian legend Fred Mwila Senior still believes the Aggrey Chiyangi-tutored side can overturn the 0-2 deficit in Cameroon. Mwila Sr, the former national team coach, said Nkana equally have a good chance of qualifying to the CAF 2020/201 Champions’ League group stage despite drawing 1-1 at home against Petro de Luanda of Angola. Eagles on Wednesday lost 2-0 to Coton Sport of Cameroon in the first leg played at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka. The Zambia National Service-sponsored side needs to score three unanswered goals to progress to the next round when the two teams clash on January 5 in a first round second leg fixture . In an interview, Mwila Sr admitted that Eagles were faced with a complicated task that could end in misery. He said the team was battling an experienced side but even then, Eagles should not be written off as they still have 90 minutes to complete the task. “Yes, both teams Nkana and Eagles should have killed the game at home. Conceding at home has put them in an uphill battle. Playing away especially against a central African club (Coton Sport) is not an easy task. That’s why Zambian teams should always aim to do the job at home,” he said. Mwila Sr was confident that with the remaining 10 days, Eagles side can work on their scoring abilities to ensure they beat their opponents. “They will really need to work extra hard. If you are not scoring then why compete? Eagles need to pull their socks and put in their whole to get the desirable results. It’s not over yet until the final whistle on January 5. The boys can still do it,” he said. He advised Nkana, a side he played for, not to lose concentration especially when the team is leading as every second counts in football. Nkana coach Kelvin Kaindu said the team had a 50 percent chance of qualification and would do everything possible to grab an away victory in Luanda. His counterpart Chiyangi admitted that the striking force needed a lot of uplift to overturn the deficit.