Our aim was to qualify at all cost

By Patson Kawewe | September 10, 2019

Zambia U23 National Team coach Beston Chambeshi says the team was determined to qualify at all costs.

Speaking to the ZAMFOOT Crew after his side qualified to the 2019 Egypt Africa Cup of Nations with a 5-4 aggregate, Chambeshi praised his players for having fought hard for the victory.

“First I would like to thank my Technical bench, our motherboard FAZ for the support and I would also like to thank the Republican President for the support he gave us when we played at home,” he said.

“We conceded an early penalty which Congo scored, I think it was not a penalty, but I had to encourage the players to continue playing and remain focused.”

Coach Beston Chambeshi singled out two-goal hero Enock Mwepu for the standout performance.

“I think Enock Mwepu came out strong, he had to take the game in his own way which is good for the team. If you have a player like Mwepu then you have depth in the team,” he said.

“The whole team overall played some good football despite the hostile environment.”

Zambia and hosts Egypt will be joined by six other qualified nations when the qualifying tournament for the U23 Africa Cup of Nations draws to its end this week.

The Top 3 teams at the U23 Afcon automatically qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.