CHAN: Grant praises Zambia’s improvement despite Kenya defeat

Zambia head coach Avram Grant admitted to being impressed with the growth of his players despite existing in the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) without winning a single game on Sunday.

The Chipolopolo’s final Group A game ended in a 1-0 defeat against hosts Kenya, wrapping up a disastrous campaign in the CHAN being co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

“We showed improvement today, especially defensively. In the other matches, we were even poorer but we have shown good improvement. It’s important to know we bought a squad that we wanted to test, how they can fit in the senior team,” said Grant after the defeat to Kenya.

Asked whether he was concerned with the future of the team, the former Chelsea coach responded: “I’m not worried about the future of the team, because this tournament is basically for testing and exposing players in the local leagues.

“We have FIFA windows coming up next and that’s where our focus will be, with all the players playing in the abroad leagues available for selection.”

Zambia turned out to be the whipping boys of the group, finishing at the bottom of the pile without a point while Kenya stamped their authority as hosts to finish top with 10 points.