Zambia’s campaign at the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations came to an end following a 6-1 quarterfinal defeat to Burkina Faso at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca.
Burkina Faso struck early, with Mohamed Fofana opening the scoring in the 11th minute, followed by a confidently converted penalty from Loukman Tapsoba in the 21st minute. Zambia pulled one back through Abel Nyirongo in the 35th minute, giving the Young Chipolopolo a lifeline. Despite dominating possession with 60% and registering 13 shots to Burkina Faso’s 5—including a clear one-on-one chance for Nyirongo to equalize late in the first half—Ian Bakala’s side went into the break trailing 2-1.
Zambia continued to impress with their passing game in the second half but struggled to create meaningful chances. The turning point came in the 58th minute when Halidou Diakite capitalized on a defensive mix-up to controversially make it 3-1. The goal stood after a lengthy VAR check, which investigated a potential foul on Zambian goalkeeper Rogers Simumba in the build-up.
That moment appeared to deflate Zambia, as Burkina Faso took full control. Diakite doubled his tally in the 68th minute, again exploiting Zambia’s defensive frailties. Things went from bad to worse when Andrew Mwape was adjudged to have committed a foul in the box, allowing Tapsoba to score from the penalty spot for the second time to make it 5-1.
Burkina Faso capped off their emphatic performance in the 90th minute, as Tapsoba completed his hat-trick by pouncing on a misplaced back pass from James Sibeene, sealing a commanding 6-1 victory over a demoralized Zambia.
Despite the defeat, Zambia can take pride in reaching the knockout stage for the first time in their history. They now shift focus to preparing for their debut appearance at the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar this November.
On the other hand, Burkina Faso has advanced to the semifinals for the fifth time. The Young Stallions, who previously won the tournament in 2011 and finished third in both 2009 and 2023, will now aim to lift the title once again.
READ MORE: South Africa Clubs Eye both CAF Champions League and Confederations Cup
