Zambia Under-23 head coach Chisi Mbewe remains confident that his side can overturn their first-leg defeat against Burkina Faso and secure qualification for the third and final round of the 2027 Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Junior Chipolopolo suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to the Young Burkinabè Stallions on Wednesday in the first leg of their second-round qualifying tie at Stade du 4-Août in Ouagadougou.
Nouhoun Abdel Junior Kone scored the decisive goal midway through the first half, converting a cutback from Rachid Ayinde to give the hosts an important advantage ahead of Sunday’s return encounter.
Despite the setback, Mbewe believes Zambia have what it takes to turn the tie around when the two teams meet again at National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka.
Speaking after the match in Ouagadougou, the Zambian coach acknowledged that the return fixture would present another difficult challenge but insisted that his team’s objective was clear.
“Our expectation is beating Burkina Faso in the second leg. It’s not going to be an easy game, but we know what we want,” Mbewe said.
The coach also defended his team’s approach in the first leg, explaining that Zambia had travelled to Ouagadougou with the intention of playing attacking football rather than simply concentrating on defending.
“I think you even saw we came here with an intention of not defending. We came here to play, to show what we are made of and to ensure that we win the game.
“But unfortunately, like I said, one mistake cost us a game. Again, we have got one more chance to go and make amends,” he added.
Mbewe further explained that the technical bench would use the time before Sunday’s encounter to address the mistakes made in Burkina Faso and prepare the team for the decisive return fixture.
“We go back home, we rectify the mistakes that we made and ensure that we qualify to the next stage,” he said.
The Junior Chipolopolo must now overturn the one-goal deficit on home soil to keep their qualification hopes alive. A draw would be enough for Burkina Faso to progress to the third and final qualifying round.
The return leg is scheduled for Sunday, 15 November, at Lusaka’s National Heroes Stadium, where Zambia will be looking to use home advantage to produce the required result.
Seven teams will eventually emerge from the qualifying campaign to join hosts Egypt at the 2027 U23 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
