Napsa Stars’ away woes continued as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Red Arrows at Nkoloma Stadium today.
The match, initially scheduled for yesterday, was postponed due to weather conditions and kicked off at 13:00 hours instead of the originally planned 10:00 hours.
The match began at a high tempo, with both teams creating scoring opportunities however, it was Red Arrows who drew first blood through veteran striker James Chamanga’s 45th-minute goal.
Chamanga’s goal came as a result of a well-coordinated attack by Red Arrows, catching the Napsa Stars defense off guard. The goal gave Red Arrows a 1-0 lead at halftime, leaving Napsa Stars with a mountain to climb in the second half.
At halftime, Napsa Stars trailed by a goal, and Head Coach Sipho Mumbi made tactical changes in the second half to try and turn the game around.
Collins Sikombe replaced Evans Kayombo Jr., while Emerson Kabwe and David Bulaya came in for Dickson Chapa and Zachariah Chilongoshi in the 72nd minute.
Despite the changes, Napsa Stars were unable to find the back of the net. Red Arrows’ defense held firm, thwarting every attempt by Napsa Stars to equalize.
The match ended 1-0 in favor of Red Arrows, leaving Napsa Stars to rue their missed opportunities.
Coach Mumbi described the loss as “painful” but emphasized that the team would focus on their next game.
“We can’t change the result now, so we will concentrate on our upcoming fixture against Indeni FC,” he said.
Mumbi also expressed disappointment with the late kick-off, which he felt affected his team’s performance.
“When the match was postponed, we were told the new kick-off time would be 10:00 hours, but when we arrived at the stadium, we were informed it would be 13:00 hours instead. It disrupted our plans, but we won’t use it as an excuse for our loss.”
The defeat leaves Napsa Stars in 11th position on the Zambia Premier League table. With several games left to play, Napsa Stars will be looking to bounce back from this loss and climb up the table.
Napsa Stars will face Indeni FC in their next fixture, and Coach Mumbi will be hoping his team can put this loss behind them and come out victorious.
As the season progresses, Napsa Stars will be looking to gain momentum and make a push to avoid relegation .