Zambia coach Fighton Simukonda talks to Cafonline.com ahead of his side’s meeting with regional rivals South Africa on Tuesday, 1 December 2015 at the Leopold Sedar Senghor Stadium, Dakar.
The Chipolopolo suffered a 2-1 loss to Tunisia in their Group A opener last Saturday, and nothing short of the maximum points in the Southern African derby will greatly affect their continued stay in the competition. Details of his interview can be found below;
The Chipolopolo suffered a 2-1 loss to Tunisia in their Group A opener last Saturday, and nothing short of the maximum points in the Southern African derby will greatly affect their continued stay in the competition. Details of his interview can be found below;
Cafonline.com: What went wrong in the game against Tunisia?
Fighton Simukonda: Lack of concentration nad self-belief caused our defeat. We played the first half really well, equalized with the best goal of the tournament so far. In the final third, our boys went off, and failed to capitalize on the mistakes of the Tunisians. We also failed to take our chances, and got punished at the end. We give credit to the Tunisians, they deserved their win.
The defeat puts you in a tight corner in your next game against South Africa?
We working very hard on our concentration during games, approach to the game and tactics. If we want to stay in the competition, we must win against south Africa. We watched them played against Senegal, so we know how they can play.
How do you hope to counter the South Africans?
After watching them, I realized some weakness in their final attack. But football can be cruel sometimes, but we are prepared to fight a little for our country.
What are your impressions of the tournament so far?
African football is moving forward. At the just ended FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile, we saw two African teams in the final. Football in Africa has improved greatly so you can give credit to our leaders for investing so well in football. I hope the teams that will qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games will give good account of Africa.
Fighton Simukonda: Lack of concentration nad self-belief caused our defeat. We played the first half really well, equalized with the best goal of the tournament so far. In the final third, our boys went off, and failed to capitalize on the mistakes of the Tunisians. We also failed to take our chances, and got punished at the end. We give credit to the Tunisians, they deserved their win.
The defeat puts you in a tight corner in your next game against South Africa?
We working very hard on our concentration during games, approach to the game and tactics. If we want to stay in the competition, we must win against south Africa. We watched them played against Senegal, so we know how they can play.
How do you hope to counter the South Africans?
After watching them, I realized some weakness in their final attack. But football can be cruel sometimes, but we are prepared to fight a little for our country.
What are your impressions of the tournament so far?
African football is moving forward. At the just ended FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile, we saw two African teams in the final. Football in Africa has improved greatly so you can give credit to our leaders for investing so well in football. I hope the teams that will qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games will give good account of Africa.
By: Cafonline.com
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