Captaining Chipolopolo elates Evans Kangwa… Happy with competition in the team

Russian based Zambia National team striker Evans Kangwa has described the just-ended FIFA International Break has a good experience to have featured for the Chipolopolo Boys.

Speaking in an interview from South Africa before departure for Russia, Kangwa said he is optimistic the coach picked up some positives from the games that will help to work on in the upcoming assignments.

“It was a good experience despite it being difficult to travel because of Covid-19 we managed to come so that the coach can see what we can give to the national team, am sure he has seen something from us and he will be able to analyze and see where we can improve,” Kangwa said.

Kangwa believes the friendly matches the Copper Bullets have played during this International Break will give the technical bench an insight into what the players should do in next month’s back-to-back 2021 AFCON Qualifier against Botswana.

“These two friendlies were a good lesson to the coach to see what we can do against Botswana because we need to win both legs, am sure he will analyze critically to see our weaknesses and strengths so that we can use that against Botswana,” the interim skipper said.

“We have a young team full of speed and strength, what we need to do is to avoid conceding goals because we know we can score at any time. So playing Botswana we just have to play as we started against South Africa but of course, working on finishing our chances,” he added.

Kangwa was fortunate enough to have been given the Captains’ armband in Sunday’s 2-1 victory over South Africa in Rustenburg said he was elated with such a huge responsibility.

“It is a huge responsibility to be the captain of the team because I never expected to wear the armband for the national team, I was so happy and excited because that added something to my game,” he said.

The Arsenal Tula striker further said that everyone in the team is working hard and he is happy to see local players doing more work and enhancing competition in the team.

He also said that local players are also as good as European based because it’s just a matter of time and some of them have played together at club level.

“Everyone is working hard, the local players want to play abroad like us just as we started too. It’s good for us to have people who can come in at any time and finish the job. We are happy to be with these guys, some of them we have played together at the club level and it’s not that we are in Europe and we are better than them it’s because maybe my time came earlier than them but we are just the same,” Kangwa said.

The Chipolopolo Boys played three friendly matches beginning with a home date on October, 7 consisting of entirely local players against The Flames of Malawi winning 1-nil courtesy of a lone goal from NAPSA Stars Midfielder Collins Sikombe, the team went on to have another stern test away in Kenya on Friday with both local and foreign-based players getting involved but unfortunately they went down 2-1 at the hands of the Harambe Stars who found the back of the net through an own goal from Tandi Mwape and Cliff Nyakeya while Emmanuel Chabula scored the consolation goal for Zambia.

Coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic boys’ wrapped up the International Break with an excellent performance coming from behind to edge South Africa 2-1 at their home ground in Rustenburg, Thanks to goals from Kelvin Kampamba Mubanga and Chaniza Zulu while Keegan Dolly scored for Bafana Bafana.