Kansanshi Dynamos Football Club suffered their third loss of the season after a 2-1 defeat to Chirundu United FC. While the result was a setback, head coach Zeddy Saileti remains confident that the title race is far from over, with the Mabanga Boys continuing to push for championship.
Heading into the match, Kansanshi aimed to close the gap on log leaders Konkola Blades but now trail by five points with plenty still to play for.
The Mabanga Boys started brightly, creating an early chance in the 3rd minute when George Chisala unleashed a powerful shot, but the Chirundu United goalkeeper reacted well to parry it away. The resulting corner was wasted, setting the tone for a frustrating half for the visitors.
Despite their promising start, Kansanshi failed to capitalize on their chances, and the hosts took advantage.
Chirundu United took the lead in the 28th minute when Lameck Manda nodded in a close-range header after connecting with John Kalonje’s well-placed long-range shot.
Just five minutes later, Chirundu doubled their advantage as Godfrey Chinga slotted home from a Kunda Chabala assist, leaving the Zeddy Saileti-coached side with an uphill task in the second half.
Kansanshi responded by making two halftime substitutions, with Kizito Kezeron replacing Julius Mwanza and Ignitius Kalunga coming in for Ackson Ndalama.
The changes injected energy into the team, and in the 65th minute, Rabson Mumba pulled one back to give Kansanshi hope. Just four minutes later, Mumba had another attempt at goal, but the Chirundu goalkeeper collected comfortably.
In the 74th minute, Kansanshi had another golden opportunity through Rodgers Lukonde, who found himself in a promising position but directed his shot straight into the goalkeeper’s arms.
Further substitutions saw Kunda Mazhinga replace Rabson Mumba in the 79th minute, while George Chisala made way for Kelvin Chisamba earlier. Despite the late push and five minutes of added time, Kansanshi couldn’t find the equalizer.
Coach Saileti’s Reaction;
Speaking after the match, head coach Zeddy Saileti admitted it was a painful defeat.
“I thought we started well, but two errors cost us. We tried to push for an equalizer, but we could only manage one goal. However, this loss will not disturb our game plan.”
Saileti also acknowledged the mental pressure on his squad, stating that his players tend to feel the weight of expectation whenever Konkola Blades drop points.
“The boys usually feel pressured to capitalize when Konkola doesn’t do well, and that sometimes works against us. We need to work on their mentality,” he added.
With this result, Kansanshi Dynamos will need to regroup quickly as they look to get their promotion chase back on track with a home game against Kafue Eagles this Thursday.
