Zambians' quest continues

A last-four place was the bottom line set by French coach Herve Renard for the Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets) when given control of the national squad for a second time last October.

Zambia was upset by Tunisia in the 1996 semi-finals in South Africa and suffered five first-round exits subsequently before Renard managed to get them to the quarter-finals a couple of years ago.

It began the latest edition of the biennial African football showpiece with a bang as Emmanuel Mayuka and Rainford Kalaba scored within the first 20 minutes en route to a shock 2-1 victory over much-fancied Senegal.

Next came Libya in a Bata mudbath sparked by torrential pre-match rain and, while the swift-footed Zambians often became bogged down by the conditions, they displayed resilience to come from behind twice and take a point.

Needing a win over co-host Equatorial Guinea in its final Group A fixture to dodge a last-eight match-up with title co-favourite Cote d'Ivoire, it succeeded thanks to a goal from captain Christopher Katongo.

"You just have to fight for the flag you represent and for the national colours you wear," said Renard ahead of the weekend's first quarter-final at the 35,000-seat Estadio de Bata.

Zambia desperately wants to win the Cup of Nations for the first time next weekend in Gabon, as a plane carrying the 1993 national squad crashed into the Atlantic soon after refuelling in Libreville and all 30 on board died.

"Imagine if we could lift the trophy there - it would be a fantastic way to honour the memories of those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving the land they loved," added Renard.

If the presence of the Copper Bullets among the eight survivors of the group phase is no surprise, few outside Sudan gave the Jediane Falcons much chance of making it ahead of Angola and Burkina Faso.

Coach Mohamed “Mazda” Abdallah insisted before the tournament kicked off two weeks ago that his inexperienced, all-local squad devoid of stars was capable of getting out of Group B behind the Ivorians.

After giving the star-studded Ivorians a few frights before failing narrowly, the Falcons hit back twice to hold Angola and a Mohamed Eltaib brace bagged maximum points against Burkina Faso and qualification on goal difference.