It was the 23rd minute when DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi-Nzau, otherwise playing for second division French team Rodez, went far outside the penalty area with the goal of sending a long kicked ball into the boundary.
But he did not predict the situation. Although he directed the ball over the line, he knocked down the striker of Zambia and at the club level of English Leicester, Patson Daka. Moreover, Mpasi-Nzau himself ended up on the ground. The ball bounced off the advertising boards and Zambia’s players did not hesitate. Daka promptly threw in a car and Kings midfielder Kangwa, ambassador of Red Star Belgrade, opened the scoring with a lob from a respectable distance (in the video below at 0:21).
The goal was not prevented either by the returning Mpasi-Nzau or by the defenders trying their best. Zambia, led by the well-known coach Avram Grant, who previously sat on the bench at Chelsea and West Ham, took the lead, but it did not last long.
In the 27th minute, the cooperation between the two stars of DR Congo worked. Galatasaray striker Cedric Bakambu passed and Brentford’s Yoane Wissa had an easy job. “It was a tough game for both teams, but Congo were much better. We moved well with the ball, but against big and strong defenders, our forwards had a hard time,” admitted Grant.
“Beautiful football is useless if you want to win but you don’t score. We tried but failed. I’m sure we’ll improve,” Wissa regretted the missed chances.
In group F, both teams are still waiting for an outsider from Tanzania, and on the other hand, one of the favorites of the whole tournament, the semi-finalist of the last WC, Morocco. In the Zambia team, midfielder Benson Sakala from Mladá Boleslav is at the championship, but he remained among the substitutes the whole time in the opening match.
2024-01-18 15:26:18
#Bizarre #goal #African #Championship #team #Chelsea #coach #won #point #Sport.cz
