Tragedy struck the Zambian team when the military plane (REG: AF-319) transporting the team to Senegal for a 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier crashed late in the evening, on April 27, 1993. Three stops were planned for re-fuelling, but at the first stop, in Brazzaville, engine problems were noted on the Buffalo DHC-5D of the Zambia Air Force. Despite this, the flight continued and a few minutes after take-off from Libreville, Gabon, where the second stopover had taken place, one of the engines caught fire and stopped. The pilot, who had already made a flight from Mauritius the day before, accidentally shut down the other engine, which was still running. The loss of power, during the climb after take-off, caused the plane to fall and crash into the water 500m off the coast. All 30 passengers and crew, including 18 players, were killed in the accident.[4]
1994–2012edit
On June 3, 1994, in Brussels, the Zambian football team succumbed to one of its worst losses in its history against Belgium, losing 9–0. At CAN 1996, they finished first in the group with two victories (5–1 against Burkina Faso, goals from Kenneth Malitoli, double from Kalusha Bwalya, goals from Dennis Lota and Johnson Bwalya); 4–0 against Sierra Leone (a hattrick from Kalusha Bwalya and goal from Mordon Malitoli) and a draw (0–0 against Algeria), beat Egypt (3–1) in the quarterfinals and loses in semis against Tunisia (2–4) but took third place over Ghana (1–0, goal from Johnson Bwalya). Kalusha Bwalya was the best in the competition with 5 goals. From 1998 to 2006, Zambia did not pass the first round, except in 2004 when they failed to qualify. On September 3, 2006, at home, Zambia achieved the biggest victory in its history against Djibouti, winning 10–0. During the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Zambia finished third in the group with a 3–0 victory against Sudan (goals by James Chamanga, Jacob Mulenga and Felix Katongo), a draw (1–1 against Egypt, goal from Chris Katongo) and loss (1–5 against Cameroon, goal from Chris Katongo). In 2010, Zambia finished first in her group and faced Nigeria in the quarter-finals where she lost on penalties. Jacob Mulenga and Emmanuel Mbola were included in the tournament's Best XI.
In 2012, the best AFCON in Zambia history happened. During the tournament’s group stage, they defeated Senegal(2-1), drew with Libya (2-2), and defeated Equatorial Guinea (1-0), and qualified top of their group. During the knockout stage, Zambia defeated Sudan (3-0) in the Quarterfinals, beat Ghana in the semifinals (1-0) and went up against Ivory Coast in the final, where the won their first title, after defeating them in a dramatic Penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw after extra time.[5]
^"The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
^Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
^"History of Zambian National Team". fazfootball.com. Football Association of Zambia. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
^"Zambia's remarkable journey makes them winners regardless". FourFourTwo. 12 February 2012. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
^"CAF releases Top XI of Orange CAN". CAF Online. Archived from the original on 4 February 2010. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
^"Final Squad". Facebook. Football Association of Zambia.
^Jerry Muchimba and Roberto Mamrud. "Zambia – Record International Players". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
External linksedit
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