By Mark Gleeson
LIBREVILLE Feb 9 (Reuters) – Zambia, a team currently
without a national stadium, have emerged from the shadows at the
African Nations Cup to grab an unexpected place in this Sunday’s
final against the Ivory Coast.
“We have been under the radar, away from the pressure and
maybe not taken seriously by many,” said their 43-year-old coach
Herve Renard, who is back at the helm after former Italy
international Dario Bonetti was sacked in October.
Although Bonetti guided Zambia to top place in their
qualifying group, his tactics were seen as negative in a country
with a long tradition of quick-paced play and attacking flair.
Renard’s return has delivered the traditional style,
culminating with a surprise 1-0 win over Ghana in Wednesday’s
semi-final in Bata.
“When I go on the internet, I don’t see anything about our
team,” Renard moaned after the weekend’s quarter-final win over
Sudan in Bata, an efficient 3-0 victory which emphasised
Zambia’s quality.
“It’s because they don’t know our team in this tournament.
Zambia did not rate in any of the predictions.”
However, Renard conceded Zambia’s anonymity had suited his
plans. He had a good counter-attack strategy in place for their
opening match against Senegal where Zambia humbled one
of the pre-tournament favourites to set the tone for a
successful run at a place in the final
“We are under-rated because when people look at our squad
and see we have only foreign-based players they write us off,”
Zambia Football Association general secretary George Kasengele
told Reuters.
Continued…
