Zambia (Kitwe): Red Arrows Football Club positioned second on the league table behind Zesco United after beating Nkana Football Club 1-0 at a parked Nkoloma stadium to complete a double over the noise Kitwe side.
Paul Katema made a razor-blade nod from an Ackim Mumba well-placed freekick on 3′ to flare Nkoloma up.
It was Nkana who started on the front foot, keeping possession in the first minutes of the game, but the Airmen were quick in transition. After winning back the ball, Ricky Banda attacked the Nkana defence, resulting in a set piece in a very promising area for the host.
Ackim Mumba took the set piece, and Paul Katema rose high, razor-blading the ball to put the Airmen in front. Nkoloma was divided, the other part erupted into jubilation while the other went quiet. ‘Basuma’ Red! Then Nkana Captain Harrison Chisala had a golden moment, but the Nkana football gods refused him as he failed to finish off a good team goal with his effort going over the bar from close range.
It was the first half, which had more yellow cards than efforts on the goal, with Red Arrows collecting enough from Referee Chimese before going on the break.
Chisi Mbewe was the first to look at his bench soon after halftime, bringing on Ebengo for Ackim Mumba and Edward Mwenya for James Chamanga, which saw the Airmen control possession much better after the substitutions. Later, Sipanuka and Mwenye came in, but Nkana’s defenders were solid.
The visitor continued to put up some decent efforts and had better chances, forcing the young Jeban Tembo to make two brilliant saves (the Jeban moments) to preserve the lead for the Airmen.
As the match went to its final stages, Nkana fans seeing that a loss was imminent, bust into some self-encouraging and acceptance vernacular verses ‘it is just a bad phase which will pass and things will be okay again’ but Max Chongo, the Arrows die-hard single handedly silenced them all with ‘bola ibaba’ popular verse.
Arrows had to defend their goal and end solidly to go second and finish the year on the high with a convincing double over the 13 times Champions.
Chisi Mbewe, in a post-match interview, expressed super delight with the victory.
“It was a tough game, and I am happy we managed to win. We knew that playing Nkana was not going to be an easy game. They came motivated after their last result, but our early goal somehow choked them,” Chisi said.
Arrows travel to Mazabuka at the first weekend of the new year to face FC Muza in a Week 19 fixture.
: Red Arrows Football Club positioned second on the league table behind Zesco United after beating Nkana Football Club 1-0){kind=link}