Chipolopolo will sit out the AFCON tournament for a third successive time after they could only draw 3-3 at home to Algeria last Thursday. That result, combined with Zimbabwe’s 1-0 win away to Botswana, ensured that the Warriors joined the North African heavyweights in securing a berth at Cameroon 2022.
Wounded Zambia’s Chipolopolo look to end on a high
Zambia will look to at least end their unsuccessful Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign on a high when they face old enemies Zimbabwe at the National Sport Stadium in Harare on Monday 29 March, kick-off at 21:00 CAT.
Zambia, the 2012 AFCON champions, have been struggling to reclaim their position as a powerhouse of football on the continent, and will be hurting all the more after seeing arch rivals Zimbabwe secure a third straight qualification for the biennial tournament.
Chipolopolo coach Milutin Sredojevic reckons his team were unlucky not to beat the Fennec Foxes: “Our boys gave everything, unfortunately the best was not good enough on the day and we ran out of time, otherwise we could have won the game.”
He added, “We outplayed the Algerians but this was not enough as we failed to outscore them, we need to tighten the back and not concede.”
By contrast, Zimbabwe coach Zdravko Logarusic is “on cloud nine”. He added, “I had gone for six games without winning and it was becoming frustrating. But, I knew when I will eventually win, the victory will be massive, not in terms of scoreline, but in terms of significance.”
In head-to-head stats, Zimbabwe and Zambia have met in 16 international matches since 2005. The Warriors have claimed seven wins compared to six for Chipolopolo, while three games have been drawn. Zimbabwe got the better of Zambia when the teams last met, in Lusaka in November 2019, with a 2-1 win thanks to a brace from Khama Billiat.
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