Zambia national football team coach Honor Janza says he has taken positives from the international friendly match played against Ethiopia on Sunday.
Zambia defeated ten-man Ethiopia 1 – 0 thanks to Allan Mukuka’s goal at the stroke of half time.
Ethiopia were reduced to ten men five minutes from time when Mujib Kassim was given a red card for a deliberate handball.
Ethiopia had a chance to get back on level terms when they were awarded a penalty in the 74th minute following a foul by Allan on Aschalew Girma but team vice captain Binyam Assefa skied his effort.
Janza contended in a post match interview with fazfootball.com that since the previous meeting with Ethiopia at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Zambia had engaged in rebuilding it’s team.
“Thank you Ethiopia for giving us this friendly. Matches between our two teams have never been easy. I vividly remember in 2013 we were together in the same group in Afcon,” Janza said.
“When we came here we knew that it won’t be easy. Both teams are preparing for qualifiers next week so it was not an easy game.
“We are just happy that Ethiopia gave us a tough game. You could see our boys had to fight to get a goal.
“For me I think we always had a good game with Ethiopia. We have never had a simple game.
“We now have a new team because we had to start rebuilding following our 2012 Afcon triumph.
“Nonetheless you can not go on and on with the same players we have to rebrand. It’s a process. You have to be patient. You can not make players in a day. We are still developing them.
“We are not afraid to get a bad result because we are building the team. I think it was a very good experience and we take positives from the game.”
The friendly match was played as part of preparations for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Zambia will host Guinea Bissau in the opening match of Group E at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium on June 13.
Congo and Kenya, the other two teams in the group play each other on Sunday, June 14.
The team returns to Zambia on Monday.
Source: FAZ