Zambia U23 coach Osward Mutapa admits they could have done better after collecting a dramatic late 1-1 away draw against Sierra Leone on Saturday in Liberia.
Two second-half penalties settled Saturday’s 2023 U23 AFCON second round first leg qualifier between hosts Sierra Leone and Zambia at SKD Stadium in Monrovia.
Sierra Leone played the first leg in Monrovia because their stadium in Freetown is not CAF-certified to host games.
“A tough game that saw us go the 90 minutes, but I think we had a very good first half where we created chances, and if we had utilised them, it would have been a different ball game,” Mutapa said.
Golden Mashata inches wide of the far post in the 9th minute, and two minutes later, Wilson Chisala saw his point-blank range shot saved on the line by Ibrahim Sesay.
Zambia then summoned the best out of goalkeeper Jeban Tembo who made three crucial saves in the opening 30 minutes to shut out sure chances by Alie Conteh, John Kamara and Emmanuel Samadia.
But Sierra’s persistence paid off in the 57th minute when they won a penalty that was converted by Conteh after Kamara was fouled by Zambian defender Brian Musema.
It took until the 88th minute for Zambia to deny Sierra Leone prospects of a home win when Mashata won a penalty that was converted by midfielder Joshua Mutale.
“But all-in-all a point away from home is not bad, but we feel we could have done much better,” Mutapa said.
Zambia hosts Sierra Leone on October 29 at National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka, with the winner in that final leg advancing to the final qualifying stage to be played in March.
The winner will face the victor of Eswatini versus Egypt tie, whose first leg was played yesterday at Somhlolo.
