THE Zambian quartet in the CAF inter-club competitions have made an impressive start with all of them winning their respective first leg.
Zesco United and Nkana who are campaigning in the champions League were away in the first leg and won through an identical 2-1 scoreline. Zesco beat SONIDEP of Niger in Niamey on Tuesday and Nkana beat UD Songo of Mozambique in Beira on Wednesday.
The Confederations Cup representatives were at home and both recorded 2-0 wins. Eagles making their maiden appearance in the competition got over the butterflies to see-off Young Buffaloes of eSwatini in Choma putting themselves in the driving seat for the second-leg.
Green Buffaloes in Lusaka made sure the South Sudan visitors in Al Merreik of Juba did not habour any hopes going into the second leg restricting them to no shot on target.
What was more impressive was the clean sheets both Eagles and Buffaloes recorded which gives them an advantage when it comes down to the away goal rule.
With Zesco and Nkana, they scored twice away and that is the platform on which to build in the return fixtures next week and we expect them to see off these ties without much difficult.
Our clubs have come a long way in these competitions and we should genuinely be optimistic of them progressing further in CAF.
That is the reason it is laughable when the head coach of the national team tells a coaches symposium that we not a big footballing nation as we think we are. The national team coach should just take a good look around us and our history on the continent.
We are heavyweights of the game in Africa. Yes, we failed to qualify to the 2019 Cameroon African Cup of Nations (Afcon) which he directly contributed but, he can not justify that by trivialising our achievements and pedigree in the game.
He chose to come to Zambia because he knew he had a winning chance here with the talent we have. Otherwise we have to question his intentions.
The COSAFA junior championship gets underway this Sunday in Kitwe. I have been encouraged by what coach Charles Bwale said ahead of kick-off that his focus remains development of the players rather than winning.
That should be the objective of the age-group teams as we build the future pool of Chipolopolo players. That should not mean losing is acceptable.
All the best to the lads, make us proud like the clubs in the continental competitions have done.
Keep the conversation @LukhandaSamuel or have your say samuellukhanda@gmail.com