Richard Stephenson: Difference between revisions

Stephenson's first bit of action with the national team was in May 1968 when Zambia faced visiting English side [[Leicester City FC|Leicester City]] who featured [[Peter Shilton]] in goal. His full international debut came a month later on 29 June 1968 when Zambia beat Uganda 2–1 in a Heroes Cup play-off in [[Lusaka]]. Stephenson reflected that without playing for Zambia Schools he would not have made it to the national team as players had to go through a thorough selection exercise. As a schoolboy featuring for Zambia he had to miss a 7–1 win against [[Tanzania national football team|Tanzania]] in November 1968 in Kitwe as he was writing his school-leaving exams.

He was in the team that was beaten 10–1 by Zaire in 1969, a game in which he sustained a serious injury that kept him out of football for 8 months.<ref name=greats>Mwambazi, James "The soccer greats of Zambia" ''The Sunday Times of Zambia'', 24 October 1971, p.15</ref> His first goal for Zambia came on 1 November 1970 in a [[1972 African Cup of Nations qualification|CAN qualifier]] in Lusaka when he scored a brace in a 5–1 demolition of Tanzania.

Zambia met [[Zaire national football team|Zaire]] in the next round of CAN qualifying in June 1971 in [[Ndola]] in one of Zambia's greatest matches and the talented midfielder was at his best as he commanded play from midfield and scored the first goal with a 30-yard screamer. After Zaire had equalised Zambia carried the day with a late winner by Peter M'hango. Defeating the Zaire Leopards was a momentous achievement as it was the first time Zambia had beaten Zaire in a long time and it made them believe that they could take on Africa's top teams and win.<ref>Liwena, Ridgeway "Zambia 2, Congo 1" ''Times of Zambia'', 7 June 1971, p.10</ref> Zambia came unstuck in the return leg 3–0 in [[Kinshasa]], where Stephenson had to go off with a knee injury which kept him out for the rest of the season.<ref name=greats/>

When Zambia beat [[Nigeria national football team|Nigeria]] 5–1 in Lusaka to qualify to [[1974 African Cup of Nations|CAN 74]] on a 7–4 aggregate, Stephenson was named in the 22-man team that travelled to Egypt for Zambia's first ever [[African Cup of nations|CAN]] adventure where they reached the final only to lose to Zaire after a replay.<ref>[[Soccerama]] 02, pp123-132</ref>

He retired from the national team with his last game coming against Tanzania at the [[CECAFA Cup|CECAFA]] tournament later that year.