ZAMBIA OPEN U-17 TITLE DEFENCE WITH WIN

AARON MUBANGA writes@SunZambianTHE Zambia U-17 national team started their campaign in the new format of the 2020 U-17 COSAFA Championship with a 2-1 win over Angola on Sunday.Coach George Chilufya said Angola had played a similar type of football and so it was tactical game that saw the Under-17 team apply themselves well.However, he said that the young Chipolopolo would focus on winning all the remaining games in the round robin format.Zambia who initially started the campaign with a 2-0 win over the Comoros Islands but Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini and Zimbabwe were thrown out of the competition after failing MRI tests to leave only four teams in Zambia, South Africa, Malawi and Angola to change the competition to a round robin arrangement.In the new format, Zambia started strong controlling the match, The young Copper Bullets took the lead in the 51st minute when Charles Mumba got on the end of a neat-looking cross that beat Karigo Kaslam in the Angola goal.A penalty in the 63rd minute gifted Zambia their second through Rickson Ng’ambi with Catangue tripping forward Joseph Banda in the area. Angola were, however, able to pull one back in the third minute of added time through Antonio Lopes with the game cantering to an end.Ng’ambi described the win as a good start and that Angola was a strong side but the team was able to work well. Zambia will be back in action today with another round of games where they will hope to make it two wins from two when they tackle Malawi.The two finalists from the tournament will qualify for the 2021 Africa Under-17 Cup of Nations that is scheduled to be played in Morocco.