10-Man Zesco hold leaders Buffaloes

by Staff Reporter

Saturday Oct 23, 2021. 18:00

Ten-man Zesco United on Saturday halted FAZ Super League leaders Green Buffaloes momentum after holding the early season contenders to their crown to a 1-1 home draw at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.

Saturday’s result paused Unbeaten Buffaloes six-match winning run after recording their second draw of the season this weekend from eight games played since Lusaka Dynamos held them by the same score line in Week 1 on September 11 in Lusaka.

It was a cagey first half at Levy Stadium although Zesco were the ones who took the game to Buffaloes.

Zesco striker Jesse Were fired a great chance wide in the 22nd minute and in the 29th minute Buffaloes goalkeeper Fred Silwamba kept out Kelvin Mubanga’s effort that went out for a corner.

Were was then seconds late to meet the ball on the far post from the resultant corner kick taken by Mubanga to see Buffaloes breathe a sigh of relief.

Then Zesco suffered a setback in the 39th minute when midfielder Dickson Chapa was harshly sent-off despite making a clinical tackle on Martin Njobvu on the edge of the area but referee Derrick Kafuli saw otherwise.

The two sides then went into halftime scoreless before Buffaloes took the lead in the 53rd minute when Njobvu headed-in Paul Simpemba’s corner.

However, the goal plus player deficit didn’t bother Zesco who went on to pile the pressure on Buffaloes.

Zesco’s best opportunity in that period of dominance came in the 77th minute when Zimbabwe midfielder Thabani Kamusoko was denied by the woodwork after his volley came off the right angle.

Relief for Zesco came in the 88th minute when Buffaloes defender Jack Ngulube collided with Spencer Sautu and Kafuli compensated for his first half misdeed by awarding Zesco with a penalty that Mubanga converted.

Meanwhile, Buffaloes maintain their seven-point lead on 20 points from eight games while Zesco stay second on 13 points from seven matches played with a match in hand.