Kansanshi Dynamos 2–1 Konkola Blades
Kansanshi Dynamos secured their first victory of the 2026 Transitional League season with a hard-fought 2–1 win over Konkola Blades at Solwezi Independence Stadium on Saturday, delivering a positive response in front of their home supporters.
The Fearless Mabanga Boys came into the encounter looking to recover from a 4–1 defeat to FC MUZA, having opened their campaign with a goalless draw against Makeni All Stars.
Joseph Ssemujju gave the hosts an early advantage in the fourth minute, scoring his second consecutive goal after applying intense pressure to force a turnover before punishing the Konkola Blades defence with a clinical finish.
Kansanshi continued to threaten on the counterattack, with Ssemujju seeing an effort saved by goalkeeper David Mumba in the 14th minute. The rebound fell to Francisco Madinga, but his attempt went wide.
The hosts created further opportunities before the break. Madinga led a counterattack in the 31st minute and fed Mathews Tolopa, whose effort was saved by Mumba. Beby Musangala also came close with two headers in the 37th and 42nd minutes, both narrowly missing the target.
Konkola Blades, however, found an equaliser in the 45th minute when Idris Mbombo headed home from a corner kick to send the teams into the break level at 1–1.
Kansanshi made changes in the second half as they continued searching for a winning goal. Their persistence paid off in the 74th minute when the hosts were awarded a penalty after Emmanuel Kunda pulled Ssemujju’s shirt inside the box.
Musangala stepped up and made no mistake from the spot, calmly slotting the ball into the net to restore Kansanshi’s lead.
Further substitutions followed in the 85th minute as the hosts looked to protect their advantage. Kansanshi held on to secure all three points and register their first win of the campaign.
Makinka Praises Team’s Response
Head coach Denis Makinka congratulated his players for their performance, praising their hard work, tactical discipline and determination following the defeat to FC MUZA.
“First of all, I want to say congratulations to the boys. They really worked hard just as we planned,” Makinka said.
The coach was particularly pleased with the team’s attacking play in the first half, although he acknowledged that their finishing still needs improvement after several opportunities went unconverted.
“I thought we did very well, especially in the first half. I thought we would have scored even four in the first half, four or five. But we missed a lot of chances, and all the chances were face-to-face with the goalkeeper,” he said.
Makinka also praised the team’s defensive organisation and transitions, highlighting the collective effort of the technical bench in preparing for an opponent that had started the season strongly.
“The ball retention was good today. The defensive organisation when we lost the ball, the transitions, I thought we did very well. Kudos to the boys for how they applied themselves,” he added.
Reflecting on the pressure to respond after the previous defeat, Makinka said the technical bench had placed emphasis on the mental aspect of the game when preparations resumed on Monday.
“We started with the mental aspect, mentoring the boys to forget about the loss against MUZA. We also spoke about how, when you lose one game, it is never the end, but just the pain. So today, we have overcome this pain,” he said.
With their first victory secured, Kansanshi Dynamos will now turn their attention to their next assignment against Zanaco as they seek to build on the positive result.
FULL-TIME: Kansanshi Dynamos 2–1 Konkola Blades
Goals: Joseph Ssemujju (4’), Beby Musangala (74’ pen) | Idris Mbombo (45’)
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