Zambia skipper Rainford Kalaba has admitted
some of the players were afraid of Nigeria
stars who play in the Premier League and this
caused their 2-1 loss to the Super Eagles in
their World Cup qualifier on Sunday.
Zambia lost for the first time in Ndola with
Premier League stars Alex Iwobi and Kelechi
Iheanacho scoring for Nigeria in the first half.
The other Premier League stars in the squad
were Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi and
Leicester City’s Ahmed Musa.
Kalaba said, “Playing against experienced
players based in Europe, some of the guys
were scared of playing against them because
they always watch them every weekend in the
Premier League and when they see them live,
it is often difficult for them to concentrate on
the game.
“In the first half some of the guys were a bit
scared, but in the second half we all saw how
things went and we controlled the game.
“There are even more stars in Algeria and
Cameroon, so this must be a big lesson for
us.”
He added, “We respect Nigeria because they
have some good players.
“They have some experienced players in the
midfield and they were well organised.”
The exciting forward said the pressure would
now be on Chipolopolo to get their qualifying
campaign back on track.
“Losing our first game has brought more
pressure on us, but we hope to improve,” he
admitted.
“We are all very disappointed we lost at home
because it was important to start (this
competition) well.
“We still have time to work together with the
coach so that we could rectify the mistake we
have made.”
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