Zambia thrashed Tanzania 0-3 in the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup second-round qualifier, putting one foot in the third and final round.
The girls, who are aiming for back-to-back qualification, were held to a goalless first half but came back firing in the second half.
64 minutes into the game, Grace Phiri opened the scoring with a brilliant finish. Despite Tanzania showing some signs of a comeback, it was Zambia who got another goal through the team captain and red-hot winger, Mercy Chipasula, in the 80th minute.
Pressure was mounting on the Tanzanians, and they would soon concede a penalty late in the game. Chipasula stepped up and made no mistake, slotting home the goal to extend Zambia’s lead to 3-0 in the 89th minute.
A very comprehensive win for the Copper Princesses. The return leg is set for Saturday at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.
Post-Match Reactions
Carol Kanyemba, Zambia’s head coach, was thrilled with her first away victory since last year but does not want her girls to be complacent ahead of the return game.
“We need to get more goals if possible in the second leg. Playing at home is always an advantage. We’ve got the crowd behind us, and we’ve got everyone at peace knowing that we are at home,” Kanyemba said in a post-match interview. “So we are not going to be complacent with this result, but we are treating it as a new game altogether, and we are coming into it with the right attitude so that we get maximum points and we are able to score and not concede if possible.”
Her Tanzanian counterpart, Baraki Shime, conceded defeat but hopes his girls can turn the tables around in the second leg away from home.
“We did very well in the first half in terms of defending and controlling the game. But we conceded very easy goals. The first goal took us out of the game, and then the second and third goals followed” he said. “I hope we’ll prepare for it well. Three goals are many, but it’s not too many.”
Zambia and Tanzania will conclude their matchup on Saturday at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
A win for Zambia will send them to the third and final round of the qualifiers, where they will face either Benin or DR Congo for a place at the World Cup, which will be held in Morocco in October.
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