Harambee Stars goalkeeper Ian Otieno kept a clean sheet as Zesco United thrashed Barotse Crocs 4-0 at the Nkoloma Stadium on Monday to advance to the quarterfinals of the ABSA Cup.Despite coming up against the relatively unknown Barotse, Zesco head coach George Lwandamina reserved a place for Otieno and other senior players in the starting lineup.While Otieno stood tall between the sticks, his compatriot Jesse Were, a two-time winner of the cup with Zesco didn’t feature in the game.##NAJAVA_MECA_7992938##Were, who returned to Zesco in January from Kansashi Dynamos wasn’t in the match day squad.Zesco who are chasing their seventh title had to deal with the electric pace of the youthful Barotse players early in the game.When they managed to contain them, Zesco unleashed their tactical might and subsequently, took the lead through skipper John Ching’andu in the 29th minute.Zega Mambo would double their advantage in the 60th minute through David Simukonda before Chanda Mukuka added the third in the 81st minute.Odongo stars as Talanta Hela U19 boys maul Eldense FCPascal Phiri scored the fourth in the dying minutes of the game.Otieno faced his first shot in the 77th minute but he was equal to the task, making a comfortable catch that denied Barotse hopes of staging a comeback.Barotse head coach Christopher Lungu said, the lessons picked from the match will go a long way in improving the team.The tactician who conceded that Zesco were heads and shoulders experience-wise said the team will return to the next edition stronger and better prepared.“We came up against a big team full of experienced players. We picked up lessons in the tournament and I am sure we will be a better side in the next edition,” he said in a live interview with SuperSport.CAFCL: Gamondi confident of Yanga beating Mamelodi Sundowns in PretoriaZesco assistant coach Tenant Chilumba was left satisfied with the manner in which his charges dealt with the athleticism displayed by Barotse.“This is the result we wanted. The boys played according to the plan and handled the opponent well. We want to go all the way and win the cup,” said the tacticianZesco’s Simukonda was named ma of the match and consequently, walked home with approximately 26 thousand shillings.
