MUMAMBA HITS THE RIGHT SPOT AS ZESCO UNITED SINK RADIANTS

This feels like ZESCO United once again. The swag is back, the demeanor of being the bully of the Zambian game seem to be returning with each passing phase.

Coach Numba Mumamba’s side seem to have found the chemistry and spark that was evidently missing at the end of the 2019/2020 league season and the early stages of the 2020/2021 league season.

There was discontent among ZESCO United’s faithful’s when ZESCO United lost its first home game of the season 1-0 to Forest Rangers.

More questions surfaced when the team struggled to consistently collect maximum points even against the minnows of the Zambian game.

Mumamba and his technical bench agonized over their best starting eleven from a side which has been dominated by old and experienced players and recently elevated a number of young players to the senior team.

Known for his faith in young players, Mumamba shuffled his coins and made sure that everyone understood that there were not going to be any sacred cows at ZESCO United.

Today ZESCO United dispatched Lumwana Radiants with surgical beauty, putting four goals past the Solwezi based side.

This was once again another show of authority and force from a club that has for the last two weeks reverberated the same kind of oomph which led them to become the most feared football club in recent years.

ZESCO United have made it four out of four, beating Buildcon 3-1, humbling Power Dynamos 2-1, and humiliating Forest Rangers 0-3 before punishing Lumwana Radiants 4-1.

Mumamba has been at the helm of this drastic change in both culture and belief. He has rallied his side to believing that they are indispensable. A feat that has run through the fabrics of the club for the last two decades.

He has made the system believe that boys can actually occupy the front seat of this massive football club and produce the same kind of output that veteran striker, Winston Kalengo was and is still known for.

Like it was once the case at Manchester United. Marcus Rushford learning from the old and experienced Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Today Enock Sakala is banging goals at will under the tutelage of Winston Kalengo.

ZESCO United’s newly found formula is working charms on their opponents. Teams don’t really know what to expect.

Mumamba’s ability to start his first eleven with a mixture of youth and experience is having dramatic effects on the opposition.

Today only 20-year-old Mukuka Chanda made the starting eleven, with Samuel Sikaonga, Enock Sakala,Luwawa Kasoma watching from the sidelines.

Experience was today at the center of unpacking an unsuspecting Lumwana Radiants. ZESCO United took the lead as early as the 7’ minute through the club’s an unlikely source.

ZESCO United defender Adrian Chama spotted keeper Ngelekwa Katembwa off his line before unleashing a long range effort which the keeper, who was backtracking could only parry into his own net.

In the 37’ minute Enock Sakala replaced Kelvin Kampamba after the latter sustained an injury.

Solomon Sakala doubled the lead in the 46’ minute of the second half after connecting perfectly with a Jesse Were corner.

In the 50’ minute Mumamba had seen enough from Were, Rusike and Mukuka replacing the trio with John Chinga’ndu, Donashano Malama, and Luwawa Kasoma.

It took 16-year-old Kasoma 6 minutes to score ZESCO United’s third goal of the game.

16-year-old Kasoma pounced on a Kalengo through ball before chipping the ball past Katembwa to score his first goal for the eight times league champions.

Mumamba’s unrelenting desire to punish his opponents even when they are gasping for their last breath saw him retrieve veteran striker Winston Kalengo and brought in Samuel Sikaonga.

It’s this type of shuffling of players which is proving unbearable for ZESCO United’s opponents.

Lumwana Radiants responded in the 71’ minute with a powerful drive from Emmanuel Manda leaving Otieno convincingly beaten.

ZESCO United were not yet done. Radiants response seemed to have reignited the host’s appetite to drive forward.

In form Zimbabwean midfielder, Thabani Kamusoko was not to be left out on the list of goal scorers.

Kamusoko put the icing on the cake with a fine finish after a well calculated move involving Enock, Chingandu and the former to make it 4-1 for the hosts.

It will be tempting for any ZESCO United faithful to say: ‘This is the ZESCO United we know.”

However, it is worth highlighting that Mumamba has significantly contributed to the developments taking shape at the club, especially for a team whose past success has largely been dependent on already baked experienced players.

The blending of youth and experience has evidently produced results and brought smiles back on the faces of the ZESCO United technical bench, management and fans alike.  

ZESCO United’s 4-1 bashing of Lumwana Radiants has seen the Ndola based league giants ascend to the top of the Zambian league table with 37 points with 19 games thus far played.

Author: Desmond Katongo