KHAMA BILLIAT was the hero last night with a double strike
that powered the Warriors to an historic AFCON qualifying win over Zambia at
the Heroes Stadium.
The Kaizer Chiefs forward found himself at the right place,
at the right time, on two occasions of this encounter to inspire his side to a
memorable victory.
It marked the first time the Warriors have won an AFCON
qualifier against Zambia. Four of their last matches, at this level of the
game, have either ended in defeat or draws.
But, when they needed to find their act again, after a poor
Nations Cup campaign, and a lifeless performance against Botswana, the Warriors
responded in the best way possible.
Although the Warriors’ fans might have fancied a win in
this match, after the Zambians slumped to a 0-5 thrashing at the hands of
Algeria last week, the history of this derby was always weighing down on the
team.
But, Billiat changed all that, with the help of his captain
Knowledge Musona, and the Warriors eased into second place in their group in
the race for a place in Cameroon in 2021.
Algeria, the African champions, lead the group with six
points, following their 1-0 win over Botswana on Monday, and Zimbabwe are in
second place on four points.
The Zebras are in third place, with a point pick-pocketed
at the National Sports Stadium, while Chipolopolo anchor the group with no
point.
They have now conceded seven goals in their first two
matches and score only one.
It hasn’t been a good time for Zambian football with the
national team failing to qualify for the 2017 and 2019 AFCON finals.
However, a four-goal demolition of Namibia, in their final
2019 Nations Cup qualifier at home, appeared to suggest this team could roll
back the years and become a force to reckon with again.
After last night’s defeat, many will be questioning if they
were right to start believing things were about to change for the better.
With the Warriors also under pressure, after being booed by
their fans in that draw against Botswana, coach Joey Antipas made one change
and brought in Kuda Mahachi while Knox Mutizwa retreated to the bench.
Billiat was given a somehow free role, not on either wing,
but somewhere in the centre where the Warriors, like the Spanish team that
conquered the world, were playing without a recognised central striker.
And, the move paid dividends with the Smiling Assassin
reminding everyone he is still very much a force to be considered for national
duty.
Billiat’s brace, either side of half-time, both from
Musona’s assists, proved the difference.
The Warriors, just days after being jeered by their fans,
somehow won the love of the Zambian fans who ended up cheering their moves when
the result of the match became inevitable.
In fact, as soon as Billiat scored his second of the night
about 11 minutes from time, the fans started throwing missiles onto the pitch
as they called for the removal of interim coach Agrey Chiyangi from the post.
Zimbabwe received a standing ovation from the crowd after
the final whistle but still had to be escorted by armed police to the changing
rooms as missiles rained their way.
Antipas had instructed his charges to go for the kill and
they responded accordingly.
With Musona and Billiat dictating the pace, Mahachi and
Marvellous Nakamba both came close to breaking the ice in the opening five
minutes.
And, after 10 minutes, Billiat silenced the vociferous
crowd when he timed his jump to perfection to direct a ball, swung into the box
by Musona, into the far corner.
Some defensive frailties, down the right channel of the
Zimbabwe defence, helped the Zambians to find the equaliser.
Patson Daka picked a loose ball on the left side of their
attack, with the hesitant Nekati failing to obstruct him, and the star forward
sprinted all the way before unleashing a left-footed shot that beat Elvis
Chipezeze on the near post.
The goalkeeper knows he should be saving such efforts at
this level. Of course, the shot had venom but he was covering that
area.
The hosts seized the initiative, with Evans Kangwa having a
road show, but Zimbabwe stood resolute and defended well.
The sight of Alec Mudimu punching the air with delight,
after he had made a timely intervention, showed these Warriors badly wanted to
win this match.
Antipas was ecstatic after the win.
“We are very happy as a team after we managed to beat
Zambia in their backyard,’’ the coach, who was ridiculed by the team’s fans
four days ago, said.
“We came with a positive mentality and played positive
football. The game was a balanced affair and we are happy we managed to find
our way back after that poor draw in our opener against Botswana.
“We are relieved as a team and we look forward to the next
matches next year.”
Chiyangi failed to pitch up for the post-match press
briefing, instead delegating his deputy Numba Mumamba who apologised profusely
for the loss.
“Apologies for this loss at home. We know we have
disappointed the passionate fans, it was a lack of communication in defence.
“Otherwise, we played well. We should even have won the
game had we converted our chances,” he said.
Teams
Zambia: M. Chibwe,L. Chungu, T. Mwape (K. Mubanga 90th min)
E. Kangwa (M. Mwape 69th min) E. Mwepu, J. Shonga,C. Kabaso, D. Malama, N.
Sankala, P. Daka, A. Mulenga
Zimbabwe: E. Chipezeze, I. Nekati, R. Pfumbidzai, A.
Mudimu, M. Munetsi, O. Karuru, K. Billiat, T. Hadebe, K. Mahachi (P. Dube 60th
min) , K. Musona (P. Jaure 84th min) M. Nakamba (B. Ncube 90th min) Herald
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