Ex-Pirates striker Shonga nets in friendly on debut

Things look to be on the right path for Zambian international Justin Shonga, who scored for Egyptian Premier League side Ismaily SC in a friendly match against Al Mokawloon on Wednesday.

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The former Orlando Pirates goal-poacher has been on trial with the Egyptian outfit for a while, but he was only signed on Tuesday.

In a friendly match against Mokawloon, Shonga played the entire 90 minutes and also provided an assist in the 2-0 victory.

The 24-year old who had a short spell with Tshakuma Tsha Madzivhandila (Marumo Gallanats) and a six month stint with Cape Town City, signed with the Egyptian club as a free agent.

Shonga was one of the Buccaneers’ key players when he joined the club back in 2017, under the guidance of Micho Sredojevic, before the player was released in 2019 after he was deemed surplus to requirements.

Shonga will certainly be looking to revive his career in the North African country, where Ismaily are competing against the likes of Pitso Mosimane’s Al Ahly and Zamalek SC. Ismaily finished last season in position 13^th on the log with 38 points after 34 games, 42 points behind champions Zamalek, who lifted the title after collecting 80 points.

With the acquisition of Shonga, the Ismailia based club will be looking for a better performance in the 2021/22 season. The Zambian joins the three-timesEgyptian Premier League champions, where he will be competing for a place in the starting line-up with former Platinum Stars forward Benson Shilongo from Namibia, who has been with the club since 2019.

The two players make up two of only three foreigners at Ismaily, with the third being 30 year-old Libyan midfielder Mohammed Abrahim.