WE DID OUR BEST TO COME OUT WITH SOMETHING AT THE END OF THE GAME, SAYS PATSON DAKA AFTER ZAMBIA DRAW WITH DR CONGO
WE DID OUR BEST TO COME OUT WITH SOMETHING AT THE END OF THE GAME, SAYS PATSON DAKA AFTER ZAMBIA DRAW WITH DR CONGO
Leicester City striker Patson Daka admits Zambia found their opening Africa Cup of Nations clash against the Democratic Republic of Congo a tough battle, but ultimately believes a point is a positive foundation to build upon.
Speaking to FAZ Media after the 1-1 draw in Group F, Daka acknowledged the difficulty of both teams’ first game in the tournament. “We found the game to be tough, but we expected it to be a tough game looking at the fact that it was the first game of the competition and playing against a good opponent as well. We did our best to make sure we came out with something at the end of the match.”
Zambia took a surprise lead through Kings Kangwa, capitalizing on a quick thinking throw-in from Daka that caught the Congolese goalkeeper off his line. Daka couldn’t hide his delight at the goal, stating, “When we scored it was a great moment considering we didn’t have many opportunities in the game.”
Despite taking the lead, Zambia spent much of the match defending against DR Congo’s high pressing game. Daka acknowledged the defensive resilience but noted room for improvement in attack. “I think it was a great performance defense wise but below average going forward. We didn’t create so many opportunities, if any, even to win maximum points from the game. But a point was good, we can build going forward.”
Looking ahead to their next game against Tanzania, also a neighboring country, Daka emphasized the importance of learning from the Congo match and focusing on the future. “We can only learn from it, we can’t change the results. The only thing we can do now is do everything to get maximum points in the next game because it’s a different game we are going to play against Tanzania. We just need to be positive.”
However, Daka warned against complacency: “Even if Tanzania lost the first game doesn’t mean it will just be a walk through for us. We just have to dig deep, work extra hard, and get the maximum points because they are thinking the same thing as well. We don’t have to go there with the mindset that they lost the first game, we don’t want to be caught by surprise. We need to be ready for it, it’s going to be a fight, we need to work together as a team like we always do.”
With a point earned and lessons learned, Zambia will look to build momentum against Tanzania on Sunday, knowing a win could put them in a strong position to qualify for the knockout stages.