Zambian champions Red Arrows last evening suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Tanzanian giants Yanga SC in an international friendly played at a packed Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar-es-Salaam.
Arrows put up a decent performance against the Tanzanian champions and took the lead through Ricky Banda in the 7th minute before the hosts equalized and secured the winning goals through Mudathir Yahya (63rd minute) and Stephen Aziz Ki (90th minute) from the spot in the second half, respectively.
Speaking in an interview after the match, Arrows head coach Chisi Mbewe said his side had acquitted themselves favorably and were only let down by defender Nickson Mubili’s sending off as well as a controversial penalty call in the second half.
“I think we started so well in the first 45 minutes of the game and we even managed to score a goal. Coming to the second half, we started well until we accumulated the second yellow card and were given a red card,” he said.
“The red card gave our opponents a lot of confidence and they equalized. During the dying minutes of the game, I think they were awarded what I would describe as a soft penalty, but these things happen in the game.”
However, Mbewe said he was pleased with the Airmen’s performance against a high-profile side despite the loss in a match crucial to their preparations and readiness for the CAF Champions League and domestic league competitions.
“I’d say we are now 85% ready after analyzing this game we played today. We faced a highly tactical team with a highly-qualified technical staff, and I am very happy with my team based on what we saw today,” Mbewe said.
Arrows, who clinched the 2024 CECAFA Kagame Cup last month, were invited to play Yanga in the friendly match which marks the start of the Tanzanian club’s new season.
The Zambian champions are continuing their preparations for the upcoming Champions League preliminary round fixture against FCB Nyasa Big Bullets of Malawi scheduled for this month.
