Zambia’s Under-20 men’s national team delivered a dominant first-half performance to secure a comfortable 3-0 victory over Eswatini in their second Group B match at the COSAFA U20 Youth Championship | Region 5 Games 2025.
Goals from Gabriel Phiri (18’), Billy Daka (27’), and Kelvin Chipelu (32’) sealed the win for the Young Chipolopolo, with all three strikes coming in an impressive opening 45 minutes.
The Zambian side controlled much of the first half, taking full advantage of Eswatini’s defensive lapses and setting the tone early.
Despite keeping a clean sheet, head coach Aaron Kamwanga acknowledged there is still room for improvement, especially in defense.
“I think our strategy worked very well in the first half,” Kamwanga said after the match. “When the opponents changed their strategy to a low block, we struggled a bit in the second half. But what is most important is that the boys improved from the first game to the second, which is a positive for us.”
“Our biggest challenge has always been defending. We had just one day to prepare for this game, but I believe we worked hard defensively and showed some improvement. There’s still more to do, but this year our approach is different.”
Kamwanga also emphasized that the tournament is part of a larger developmental plan, particularly as Zambia fields many U-17 players in preparation for the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup.
“Our main goal is to develop players who can eventually play for the senior national team,” Kamwanga added. “In recent years, we’ve seen players like Sabobo Banda and Miguel Chaiwa make that progression. Yes, we want to win and collect trophies, but more importantly, we want to produce individuals who can succeed at the highest level.”
He added that the tournament offers valuable match experience as the team builds toward the World Cup.
“We need to play as many games as possible in our preparation for the World Cup. Winning today gives us that chance,” Kamwanga concluded.
Zambia currently sits joint top of Group B alongside South Africa, who beat Botswana 3-0. The Young Chipolopolo will face Botswana in their final group match, while South Africa takes on Eswatini.
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