Captain Alassane Diarra became the hero in Ndola, firing a late winner as Red Arrows edged South African giants Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 to keep alive Zambia’s hopes in CAF club competition.

Diarra struck inside the box from a corner to settle a tense CAF Confederation Cup Second Round first leg at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, handing the Airmen a slender but crucial advantage ahead of the return leg in South Africa.

In a match where national pride was at stake, Arrows were the dominant force from start to finish, creating numerous chances in both halves while a cautious Chiefs side sat deep and relied on counter attacks.

It should have been more comfortable for the home side.

Arrows star Ackim Mumba will go home kicking himself after squandering two golden opportunities just before the break.

Twice Mumba was denied by Chiefs goalkeeper Renaldo Leaner, who produced stunning saves to keep his side alive.

But persistence finally paid off late on when Diarra pounced from close range after Arrows’ pressure from a corner, sending the Ndola crowd into raptures.

Arrows head coach Chisi Mbewe hailed his team’s performance, admitting he knew it would not be easy against a side with Chiefs’ continental maturity.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game playing against Kaizer Chiefs who have a lot of maturity in this competition. I’m so happy with the way the boys performed despite missing numerous chances,” Mbewe said.

“A 1-0 victory gives us advantage but we know the return leg in South Africa won’t be easy. So we have to prepare and go to South Africa to fight. Sometimes football can be like that, you create many chances but you end up scoring one goal,” he said.

For Chiefs, it was a sobering afternoon in Ndola. Coach Fernando Da Cruz conceded his side lacked aggression in the first half but insisted the tie is far from over.

“We played a tough first half with no aggression. In the second half we played better, we didn’t create many chances but had a better second half. We want to congratulate Red Arrows for this win,” Cruz said.

“Now we are focusing on the return leg at home. We know that we can win the match at home,” he said.

The victory means Red Arrows remain Zambia’s sole surviving representative in CAF club competitions this season, carrying the nation’s flag into the most difficult of assignments – a second leg away in Johannesburg where Kaizer Chiefs will be desperate to overturn the deficit in front of their massive home support.

But for now, the Airmen can savour a night when Zambian resilience overcame South African pedigree.