Venue: Independence Stadium, Solwezi
Kansanshi Dynamos were forced to settle for a painful 1–1 draw at home against Red Arrows in a match that saw the Mabanga Boys dominate large parts of the contest but miss out on maximum points due to a costly own goal.
The visitors had an early scare in the 6th minute when Albert Kangwanda’s strike was ruled out for offside. Moments later, Kansanshi responded with Garry Mwelwa testing the Red Arrows goalkeeper before Kalonji Mwepu’s long-range effort in the 10th minute was also saved by Kenny Mumba.
The pressure finally paid off in the 40th minute when Rodgers Lukonde fired home from outside the box after being set up by Francisco Madinga, giving Kansanshi Dynamos a well-deserved lead heading into the break.
In the second half, debutant Beby Musangala came on for Mwelwa, and Kansanshi continued to press forward. Kezron Kizito almost doubled the lead in the 48th minute, but his shot was kept out by Mumba.
Red Arrows drew level in the 54th minute when Faustine Bakodila, in an unfortunate moment, headed the ball into his own net while attempting to clear Albert Kangwanda’s effort.
Post-Match Reaction | Assistant Coach Makundika Sakala
“It’s disappointing because we were in control of the game and really needed this win,” said Assistant Coach Sakala. “We made one mistake, scored an own goal, and that cost us. Apart from that, the boys put in a good performance, we can’t take that away from them.”
“We’ll go back to the drawing board and keep pushing. The performance level is encouraging, and with the same intensity, I’m confident we’ll soon get the win we’re looking for,” he added.
Looking ahead, Coach Sakala remained optimistic about the next fixture.
“We face Power Dynamos next, and it’s a game we should approach with confidence. We’re not going to fear anyone, we’ll take the bull by the horns and push for the win we need.”
We have to keep on working hard and work displine on the side of the players so as to keep momentum in the team going forward.