By NDINAWE SIMPELWE –
AL Ghazal believe the 2-0 defeat suffered to Zesco United is manageable and have vowed to shock the Zambian champions in the CAF 2016 Champions League preliminary round return leg in two weeks time.
Meanwhile, Zesco coach George ‘Chicken’ Lwandamina has admitted that margin is too narrow to carry to South Sudan on February 26 when the two sides clash to decide who qualifies to the first round.
Ghazal assistant coach John Baptist Abakar said the intention was not to concede two goals but was quick to add that the margin was manageable.
Abakar said Zesco was a strong and experienced team and his side accounted itself very well.
“It was a nice game. We didn’t intend to have that result at the end of the game. We wanted it to end 1-1 but we never intended for 2-0.
The return leg we will play an open game with the aim to win it. So it will be a different ball game altogether.
“Zesco is a big team, very experienced and playing them here has made us know about them so expect a different game,” Abakar said.
Speaking after the win at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on Sunday, Lwandamina said he would have loved to win the first leg with big margin but the defensive tactics used by the opponents made it tough for his players.
“If I got you right you said we played a team that employed defensive tactics, so how do you expect us to play. Even if there was creativity, there was not enough space to use the same creativity. It was a very tough game.
“They came and parked the bus. The only goals you score in such is from afar. If the boys had taken initiative to shoot from afar, it was going to be a different ball game altogether,” Lwandamina said.
Ghazal  played a defensive game with only a lone striker while the rest of the team camped in their own half throughout the match.
After an early Idriss Mbombo goal in the eighth minute, it had to take the brilliance of Clatous Chama with almost the last kick of the game to score the second as Zesco struggled to breach the visitors defence and at the same time wasting most of the chances created.
Lwandamina said the win was important but 2-0 was narrow especially that his side outplayed the opponents.
“A win is a win. Definitely they will come at us (in the return leg); they will attack so it will be an open game. We won’t go there to defend because 2-0 is too narrow but we will be cautious. As much as we would want to go and open up we will remember that we are carrying a 2-0, we will play an open game but with an element of cautiousness,” Lwandamina said.