Bolanews rates the individual player performances of the Copper Queens out of 10 in their narrow 1-0 victory against Tanzania.
Coming from two humbling defeats against South Korea, many wondered if the Copper Queens learned anything from their 10-2 aggregate losses in Seoul.
Bruce Mwape’s troops got a confidence booster with a victory but were not anywhere close to their usual best. The Copper Queens used the encounter as a test match in a filled-to-capacity Woodlands stadium. The home side showed a few flashes of brilliance in a game in which their attackers were off-color.
Bolanews rates the performances of the Zambian National Women’s team.
Goalkeeper
Hazel Nali (7/10): She organized her backline brilliantly and had very little to worry about. Her experience at the back showed and came in handy.
Defenders
Margaret Belemu (7/10): She was solid at the back and showed a lot of intent going forward with devilish crosses. Belemu marked her return from injury with a terrific performance.
Agness Musesa (6/10): The solid center-back was a brick wall, her analysis of the danger was spot on.
Lushomo Mweemba (4/10): Mweemba’s partnership with Musesa looked convincing. The chemistry between the two was essential in protecting the goalie who would have easily gotten a chair. The Green Buffaloes defender, however, was not her usual best as she was coming from a length nursing an injury.
Martha Tembo (6/10): The experienced fullback put in a good shift. The Kazakhstan-based defender did enough to keep the East Africans at bay.
Midfielders
Evarine Katongo (9/10): The 20-year-old midfield genius was a workhorse in the middle of the park. Katongo Orchestrated attacks and was extremely comfortable with the ball at her feet. She ensured that the Copper Queens maintained possession.
Rhodah Chileshe(5/10): She was quite ineffective in the midfield and was taken off at the start of the second stanza.
Grace Chanda (6/10): Showed a few bright spots on her birthday but couldn’t impose herself on the game. She had her effort from a free kick saved. Chanda was restricted from putting in a good shift.
Forwards
Barbra Banda (5/10): Had a few chances on goal but couldn’t quite put the ball in the back of the net. The skipper failed to influence the game as she often does. She was simply a shadow of herself.
Rachael Kundananji (5/10): Did not show the heroics in front of the goal that has earned her a reputation in Europe. The Madrid CFF forward was restricted and failed to threaten a well-organized Tanzanian defense.
Xiomara Mapepa (4/10): Following her reinstatement to the national team, Mapepa’s performance was simply underwhelming. The Elite Women’s striker was replaced before the start of the second stanza.
SUBSTITUTES
Ochumba Oseke (5/10): Came on in the 75th minute to replace Racheal Kundananji who put in a timid performance. The Red Arrows envoy put together neat passes and protected the ball effectively.
Mary Mulenga(6/10): Came on the 75th minute to replace Margret Belemu. It was an excellent performance as she maintained the momentum.
Susan Banda (8/10): Put in a good shift after coming on to replace Rhodah Chileshe. Did brilliantly in ensuring Zambia enjoyed the majority of the possession. Her experience showed in this match.
Vast Phiri (4/10): She should have been pleased with her performance after coming in to replace the experienced Lushomo Mweemba. It was not at all a bad performance.
Comfort Selemani(7/10): Cooly dispatched her effort on goal to send the home fans into delirium. In a game that would have easily ended in a scoreless stalemate, she came up with the goods.
Letisha Lungu (N/A): Came on the 85 minutes to replace Hazel Nali and had very little to do.
Coach ratings
Bruce Mwape (7/10): The coach’s decision to bring on Comfort Selemani most certainly paid dividends. The midfielder showed the composure of an attacker to score the only goal of the game. Mwape and his technical bench should be pleased with the results as they head to the World Cup.
READ MORE: Mwape addresses Banda and Kundananji’s failing partnership
The defense remains the Copper Queens’ biggest weakness going to the global showpiece but the back line looked solid. The return of key defenders in Lushomo Mweemba and Margret Belemu was crucial in maintaining a clean sheet.
Copper Queens were blunt in attack and couldn’t quite split their opposition’s defense and that should be worrisome. A victory is definitely a positive result against a well-organized Tanzania side.
With less than 40 days to go before the World Cup kicks off. WAFCON bronze medalists will now set camp in Europe and will take on World Cup-bound opponents Germany and Ireland.
