Were penalty lifts Zesco

Jesse Jackson Were

Jesse Jackson Were scored a second-half penalty to give Zesco United maximum points as they defeated Egyptian side Smouha 1-0 in their Caf Confederation Cup Group C opening match played at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium on Saturday.

The penalty was awarded after Smouha defender Patrick Malo handled inside the box in the 72nd minute.

But Smouha coach Momen Soliman was less than impressed with the decision by Ghanaian referee Cecil Amatey to award Zesco United the penalty.

“Zesco United are among the best teams in Africa and they do not need help from referees to win matches. This used to happen in Africa about 10 years ago but the onset of satellite television helped to put a stop to this practice because matches are now on air.

“Today we have lost this match because of a penalty and every one in Africa saw what happened. If we lose because of a penalty, there is nothing I can do.

“My players deserved points out of this match. They did what they had to do and and am happy with their performance.

“Coming into this match we watched a few of Zesco’s matches and we knew that they had a lot of attacking players and that they would punish us if we gave them space to play.

“We were cautious but we started attacking more after we conceded the goal. Overall our game plan was affected because we only had 13 or 14 players who were fit to play.

“We have a good chance to recover because our next two fixtures will be played in Alexandria,” Soliman said.

And Zesco United coach Zlatco Krmpotic, turning to his Egyptian counterpart, said he did not see any problem with the penalty.

“I have been a trainer for over 20 years and I have learnt that losing a match is painful. We scored through a penalty and I think it was valid. What is your problem coach? You must be fair,” said the Serb, evoking a brief heated exchange with Soliman.

Krmpotic added that he was happy with his players’ overall performance and that winning a match by any scoreline was all that mattered.

The victory pushed Zesco United to the top of the group, ahead of the match between Clube Recreativo Desportivo do Libolo (Angola) and Al Hilal Elobied (Sudan) on Sunday.