Until that split second of pure magic,
Zambia stared defeat in the face inside Stade Mohammed V at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco on Monday. At that stage, their army of doubters multiplied in Lusaka ready for an all-night inquest into coach Moses Sichone’s pedigree, his badges and his players’ quality.
However, all that changed within a blink of an eye in stoppage time of this Group A contest against highly rated Mali. Zambia recycled the ball wide on the right wing before Matthews Banda dispatched it expertly. Not too hard and not too soft either. Not too high and not too low either.
As the ball flew, it had quality plastered all over it. As the ball flew higher and higher in front of Mali defenders, all seemed fine. At that moment, the Eagles felt they had caged Chipolopolo striker Patson Daka as they had all afternoon.
But the Leicester City striker sensed salvation. He ghosted in between two Mali defenders, then leapt diagonally to guide the ball to the direction where it was coming from—to the right.
The reaction of Mali keeper Djigui Diarra, who had earlier denied Dominic Chanda from scoring via a bicycle kick, was that of desperation then helplessness.
He wanted to do something. He wanted to jump and dive as he had done all afternoon. But it wasn’t just possible. He stood like a statue in Bamako as the ball danced happily in the net, confirming Zambia’s equaliser that cancelled out Lassine Sinayoko for Mali.
Such was the quality of not only the delivery itself but the execution of Daka’s header. His celebration after scoring his 22nd national team goal spoke loudly the language of utter relief, because until that moment, he looked lonely, frustrated and starved of the ball.
In celebration, he threw himself down and stayed motionless, for once forgetting his conventional style which sees him sitting down with legs crossed then clamp his palm on one eye.
In a post-match reaction, the striker insisted that he does not entertain pressure even when the chips are down.
“I know [that] I am a striker, and I need to score goals, but if it doesn’t happen, then it wasn’t meant to happen. I don’t really stress myself because I know that as long as I keep doing what’s right, the goals will come. But if it doesn’t, it doesn’t stress me because I know the goals will come,” he said.
It was a rare goal for Daka, who a few years ago, had the world on his feet banging goals left, right and centre at Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga. He was so good he was anointed as Erling Haaland’s successor after the Norwegian left for Borussia Dortmund.
Daka: From Haaland’s understudy to Leicester City struggler
The Norwegian sought greener pastures in Germany where Manchester City and Pep Guardiola followed with an open cheque. Haaland has not only established himself in the Premier League, but he is also tearing all sorts of scoring records apart with reckless abandon.
This season alone, the Manchester City striker has scored 19 goals and provided four assists in 17 appearances.
For Daka, the flight was direct: From Austria to England where he signed for Leicester City to understudy Jamie Vardy.
Daka’s career in England has been a real struggle, hardly hitting double figures. This season he has two goals only to his credit for the Sky Bet Championship side. Overall, he has 10 goals and seven assists in 76 matches for Leicester.
The forward’s struggles, further undermined by injuries, have also spilled over to the national team with his goals coming occasionally far and few. Despite such struggles, they say moments and goals change complexions of games and careers.
Could this AFCON perhaps provide Daka a platform for redemption under the guidance of the latter-day Moses Sichone?
The former Cologne FC defender had nothing but praise for Daka: “I know the quality Patson brings, which is why I kept him on the pitch.”
The Zambian attacker has another chance to maintain his scoring rhythm when Sichone’s men meet Comoros on Friday in the second match of the group.
After the game against Mali, debate in Lusaka has inevitably shifted from questions about Sichone’s UEFA A-Licence, which some quarters claim CAF has problems with, to now permutations of Zambia’s prospects of qualifying for the next stage.
Morocco lead the standings with three points after overcoming Comoros 2-0 on Sunday. The islanders anchor the table while Mali and Zambia have one point apiece, lying in second and third places respectively.
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