Despite conceding 5 goals in a second consecutive game, the head coach of the Shepolopolo of Zambia, Bruce Nwape has said their performance was not bad.
The African representative on Wednesday lost 5-0 to Spain and became the first country to crash out of the competition.
“Our performance was not all that bad, despite losing by a big margin,” he told reporters. “Looking at the last game (against Japan) and today, there has been an improvement. We just made a few mistakes in the first half where we did not start well and allowed two goals.
“In the second half towards the end, that’s where we also made some mistakes, but the game overall was better than against Japan.”
“In one-on-one situations they took advantage as they could eliminate our defenders. Playing the best teams in the world is not easy, but we have learned a lot.
“Especially when it comes to offensive play, we have seen how our opponents are holding onto possession of the ball and the tactics they are using.
“Going forward we will improve on those tactics we have,” the coach said.
Zambia have a chance to leave their debut World Cup with their heads held high against the Costa Ricans, who lost their opening two games 3-0 to Spain and 2-0 to Japan.
