Zambia: The Red Arrows, South Africa’s prominent football team, suffered a significant setback by losing at home in a derby against rivals Green Eagles, marking their first home defeat this season. The defeat occurred on Saturday, adding to a series of disappointing performances in recent games.
The match took place at the Red Arrows’ home ground. The loss to the Green Eagles contributed to the team’s overall disappointment, as they have been facing a point-dropping streak in the last several games.
The Red Arrows failed to provide satisfactory answers on the field during yesterday’s match, leaving fans and supporters frustrated.
Speaking after the game, an extremely dissatisfied Coach, Chisi Mbewe said, “It was a disappointing loss, we did not play our usual game, players didn’t come to the party. We looked tired today. Why that was the case, I don’t know, and it is the time each and everyone took responsibility.”
“Looking at how we played against Zanaco and today, it’s two totally different performances; otherwise, the most important thing now is we reorganize and forge ahead for the next game against Mutondo on Friday”, added Chisi.
The match was critical for both teams, with Red Arrows seeking to guarantee a top-six finish at the halfway point, which would earn them an Absa slot and Eagles hoping to preserve their hold on the same. No wonder they had to celebrate the victory with fans and bench alike. They are in fine form and have a reason to push for it.
Now, it was obvious from the start that the Red Arrows would work extra hard for the points in the game and were unable to generate scoring chances from their build-up.
The Airmen controlled possession and produced multiple chances in the first half, while the Eagles played cautiously in the hope of catching. They then capitalized and scored from seemingly breakdowns in Arrows’ defence.
Red Arrows will have to call all their strength and winning mentality and beat Green Eagles in Choma and set it right with its unhappy fans, especially in this game, which questioned their consistency.
However, it is not all doom and gloom for the Nkoloma side. They are still better positioned third on the table, and the players are capable of turning things around and the chance to correct the mistakes starts this Friday. Arrows will host Mutondo Stars on Friday at Nkoloma to complete the round of 17, and it’s in this game that the Absa Cup participation depends.