GALLANT GREEN MAMBA CRASH OUT

 (At Levy Manawasa Stadium in Ndola, Zambia)

Zesco United..........(1)1
Were 15th
Green Mamba.........(0)0
Zesco won 3-0 on aggregate

Ndola - Green Mamba crashed out of the TOTAL CAF Champions League with dignity following a narrow 1-0 loss to Zambia’s Zesco United here yesterday.
At home in about three weeks, the Caleb Ngwenya-led charges conceded 2-0 and yesterday they gallantly fought only to lose 3-0 on aggregate.

In both legs, the home side played good football and created enough chances but only to miss and they were punished.
They missed an opportunity to play Tanzania’s Young Africans F.C, who booted out Botswana’s Township Rollers. Zesco qualified and they will clash horns with the Tanzanian side in the next round of the TOTAL CAF Champions League.

It was a game of two halves with the Ndola-based side controlling proceedings in the first stanza while Green Mamba were dominant in the second half.
The score was not a true reflection of the game, especially in the second half where the Correctional outfit let a chance slip to equalise and claim the lead through substitute Linda Nkambule and Solomon Oladele who was a constant threat to the opposition defenders.

regardless

In a game of football, the team that wins is the one that converts their chances regardless of how bad they played during the 90 minutes.
Zesco United broke the deadlock in the quarter-hour mark through a corner-kick.

 It was Jesse Were who volleyed the ball into the top left corner of the net leaving Thokozani Mkhulisi gasping for air between the poles. Were benefited from John Ching’andu’s well taken corner kick.

There was a penalty appeal from the over 10 000 Zambians who came to support their team after Kasumba Umaru seemed to have been rough-tackled  inside the box by Samkelo Gumbi in the 20 minutes, but the Namibian referee Shifelenu Nehemia waved play on.
The Caleb Ngwenya-coached side did not create clinical chances in the opening 30 minutes.

target

 It was only two off target shots that were taken by Banele Mdluli in the 28 minutes from the right flank.
Njabulo Tfwala could also have done better in the half hour mark when he rattled his effort over the bar.
Khethokuhle Mkhonfto could have levelled matters in the 38 minutes but his volley from the edge of the box hit the woodwork and was cleared to safety by the Zambians defenders.

After the resumption, the home side continued from where they left off but were not clinical in their finish.
They missed three glorious opportunities that could have given them a healthy lead in the early stages of the second half.
Green Mamba seemed to have woken up from their slumber as they started creating clear cut chances and taking shots on target.
This is after Coach Ngwenya introduced award-winning top goal scorer Musa Dlamini for Banele Mdluli in the 53rd minutes.

rasping

Dlamini proved why he needed to start the game after releasing a rasping shot in the 55th minute 40 yards away, which was too much to handle for Zesco United goalkeeper Jacob Banda who spilled the ball but immediately reached for it before the oncoming Solomon Oladele could utilise it.

Oladele also had his fair chance when he was set on goal by Mxolisi Mkhontfo but his weak shot was easily saved by Banda an hour into the game.
Linda Nkambule, who replaced Phinda ‘Phindrix’ Dlamini, was close to making it 1-1 in the 84th minute through a glancing header after connecting a Njabulo Tfwala cross but his header missed the target by inches.

One would have expected that the over 70 travelling fans would be sad after the game, but instead they waved and clapped hands for the team for the gallant display.

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