UMzantsi Afrika uthiwe qwaka qwaka yiZambia nakubeni uhambe phambili ngegowuli elinye kwisiqingatha sokuqala. IBafana ibethwe ngo’2-1 kumdlalo wobuhlobo obuthande ukubashushu eMoruleng Stadium namhlanje. Emva kokubetha iNigeria ngo’2-1 kumdlalo ohlakulela i-Afcon kwimpelaveki edlulileyo, uStuart Baxter ufake uninzi lwabadlali olungakhange ludlale kula mdlalo. URivaldo Coetzee, Lorenzo Gordinho, uTiyani Mabunda, u-Aubrey Mngoma noLebohang Manyama ngabanye babadlali abathe bafumana ithuba lokuqala umdlalo. Iqela likaStuart Baxter lidlale kakuhle kwisiqingatha sokuqala – kodwa ngelishwa kwesesibini, abakwazanga ukumelana neZambia ebinabadlali abanamava kunabo boMzantsi Afrika.
Ngomzuzu wamashumi amabini ananye uLebohang Manyama uvalele emnatheni ngentloko ibhola ayinikelwe nguKermit Erasmus ekunxele. Emva koko abadlali beZambia baleqe izithunzi ixesha elide. Amakhwenkwe kaStuart Baxter anikelene ngebhola ngeyona ndlela incomekayo. Umdlalo wabo ubuqalwa emva kamnandi nguRivaldo Coetzee – obebotshwe noLorenzo Gordinho oqale umdlalo okokuqala kwiqela lesizwe. Ufumene ithuba lokongeza amagowuli u-Erasmus – kodwa ibhola yakhe ibhabhe phezulu. Nangona abadlali beZambisa bekwazile ukuxaba endleleni yaBafana Bafana ebekubonakala ukuba bafuna igowuli lesibini – kodwa ngenxa yokungafumani ibhola kakuhle – babhenele ekudlaleni kakubi. Unozinti weChipolopolo ubambe ibhola embi ebisukela nguManyama emva komsebenzi omhle owenziwe ngu-Andile Jali.
UPercu Tau, oze kulo mdlalo ekhuthazekile emva kokufaka igowuli eNigeria, ebeyaluzelisa abadlali beZambia emva edibene no-Erasmus – kodwa amatyeli aliqela babethwe kukungxama nokungayilawuli kakuhle ibhola. Ukuqhelana kuka-Aubrey Mngoma noLebohang bekubonakala kwindlela abebedlala ngayo kulo mdlalo. UTiyani Mabunda noJali benze umsebenzi oncomekayo esiswini kakhulu. Bakwazile ukunqanda iibhola zeZambia ezibaleka kanti bazamile nokudala amathuba. Kuyiwe kwixesha lokuphumla iBafana Bafana ihamba phambili ngo’1-0. nto ingakho eyenziwe yiZambia ngoba ibiphantsi koxinizelelo.
Kwimizuzu yokuqala kwisigaba sesibini, abadlali beZambia bazamile ukufaka uxinizelelo kuMzantsi Afrika. URonwen Williams uchithe imbumbulu yebhola ebikhatywe kufutshena nomhlaba wakhe. Umdlalo weZambisa uye watshintsha emva kokufakwa kwabadlali ababini. UBaxter ufake uLebohang Phiri endaweni kaMngoma. UMshimbi Stanley uphumile kwangena uPhiri endaweni yakhe. Ngomzuzu wamashumi asixhenxe, uBrown Mwila, ufake igowuli lokulinganisa. UThamsanqa Gabuza, ongene endaweni ka-Erasmus, uvinjwe nguChibwe, unozinti weZambia efikile. UMundia ufake igowuli leZambia emva kokuba uWilliams engakwazanga ukubamba ibhola. UGordinho uphose ithuba lokugqibela kwimizuzu yokugqibela kulo mdlalo. Lo mdlalo ubuphethwe yiBafana Bafana ekuqaleni kodwa izinto ziye zajika kwesesibini isigaba somdlalo. UBaxter uvumile ukuba iqela lakhe ngelenze ngcono kulo mdlalo ukuba beliwasebenzisile amathuba eliwafumeneyo.
Bafana Bafana: Keet, Mobara, Gordinho, Coetzee, Hlanti, Jali (c) Mabunda, Tau, Erasmus, Ngoma, Manyama.
Ithuba lokufunda ukuqhuba kwabakhubazekileyo baseAmathole