For footballers, the chance to face off against Lionel Messi, the man touted as the Greatest of All Time (GOAT), is a dream occasion. For the Zambia national team, that chance came on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Buenos Aires.
The Zambian stars honoured an invitation for a friendly that offered a rare chance to pit their prowess against the reigning world champions, who featured the multiple-time Ballon d’Or winner alongside other stars from the 2022 triumphant team.
Hilarious reactions
Chipolopolo were walloped 5-0 in the encounter, a result that left fans in awe while others opted to make a jest of the match.
Following the clash, Zambian fans could not help but poke fun at the game, posting hilarious comments about the African nation’s display against the world champions.
Part of troll from Zambian fans on facebook PHOTO/https://web.facebook.com/FootballAssociationZambia
Power Dynamos custodian Willard Katsanda was among the victims of the several stray fans, with one joking that his conceding against Messi was tantamount to seeing a dream come true.
“Our goalkeeper Ati Messi’s goal was a dream come true,” Aggrey Mukonka jibed.
Oliver Chanda, who also scored an unfortunate own goal, was not spared, with a fan hailing him as the first player to score an own goal against Argentina.
A fan trolls Zambia Keeper during the clash with Argentina. PHOTO/https://web.facebook.com/FootballAssociationZambia
A different fan claimed that their players had divided allegiance during the tie, stating that some could have been supporting their Argentine opponents. Another dismissed the result as a hoax, borrowing from the April Fools’ Day trend by joking that the game will actually be played on April 1 and not March 31.
“It’s a dream come true for all the players just losing to Argentina,” Edward Phiri stated.
“The boys were more excited to be on the pitch than to actually play. The whole team played rubbish football; they were all scared, starting from the coach,” another fan, Jordy Kelvin, reacted.
Interim Head Coach George Lwandamina admitted his team lacked the courage to face the world champions in most exchanges.
“Yes, we were slightly timid as we tried to come out of our shells. We learned many lessons, like the cost of conceding early and in the last minute. We played a highly tactical team; we have to be very organised and play compact,” he said.
