Red Arrows coach Chisi Mbewe is confident his side will secure a historic place in the CAF Confederation Cup group stage after edging South African giants Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 in the first leg of their tie at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on Saturday.
The Airmen claimed a narrow advantage through Alassane Diarra’s 76th-minute header from a corner, but Mbewe believes the team has the quality and determination to finish the job when the two sides meet again in Johannesburg next Friday.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Mbewe said qualification was now within Red Arrows’ control and challenged his players to maintain their competitive spirit in the return leg.
“We are very confident. This is a competition; we shouldn’t give it away. I think we’re in this competition to compete, and I think even coming into this game, we had planned. The goals that we actually wanted to score in this game were three goals. That’s what was our target, and I think you could even see the chances that we created.
“Again, it’s in our hands. It’s up to us to lose it or to win it. So we go there, we fight, and we ensure that we qualify for the group stage,” Mbewe said.
Red Arrows controlled much of the contest and created several opportunities, but their inability to convert more of their chances left the tie finely poised despite the home victory. Diarra’s late second-half header ultimately separated the sides.
Mbewe admitted that the team’s finishing needs improvement ahead of the decisive return fixture. However, he remains optimistic about Red Arrows’ chances of reaching the group stage for the first time, rating their prospects at eight out of ten when asked to assess them on a scale of one to ten.
“I can assure you that this time around, Red Arrows is qualifying for the group stage,” he said. “On a scale of one to ten? I would say eight out of ten.”
“We’re only maybe disappointed on the part where we created a lot of chances but only managed to convert one goal,” he added.
The Red Arrows coach also hopes Kaizer Chiefs adopt a more attacking approach in the second leg, believing that a more open contest could create further opportunities for his side to score in South Africa.
Mbewe said the South African outfit had been cautious in Ndola, making it important for Red Arrows to sharpen their finishing during preparations for Friday’s encounter.
“I think if you saw the way Kaizer Chiefs came, they were a bit cautious in this game. So we hope that when we go to South Africa, they open it up. So the most important thing is to get back into training and ensure that we improve on our finishing, of course. I think when they open it up, it will even give us a chance to score in South Africa,” he said.
With a one-goal advantage secured at home, Red Arrows will travel to Johannesburg knowing that another disciplined performance could take them into the lucrative group stage. However, Kaizer Chiefs will have the opportunity to respond on home soil, leaving the Zambian side with work still to do in their pursuit of continental progress.
