The Zambian women’s national team‘s final FIFA World Cup group match against Costa Rica concluded with a historic win and the competition’s 1000th goal. It was a performance that was marked by a lot of impressive displays from the Copper Queens throughout the pitch.
Goals from Lushoma Mweemba, Barbra Banda, and Rachael Kundananji sealed an iconic 3-1 win over Las Ticas at the Westpac Stadium on Monday.
Bolanews rates the performances of the Copper Queens in their final 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup game against Costa Rica.
GOALKEEPER
Catherine Musonda (6/10)
Musonda had a very quiet first half as her side was on top of Costa Rica in all departments. The shot-stopper was only called into action early in the second half, where she was at fault for the South American’s first goal. She made two saves for the Copper Queens against Costa Rica.
DEFENDER
Margaret Belelmu (8/10)
The fullback was finally back to her sizzling best against Las Ticas. She made three clearances and won as many fouls in her mercurial performance against Costa Rica.
Agness Musesa (5/10)
Musesa nearly paid for her error, which resulted in a Costa Rica equalizer that was, fortunately, short-lived. The Green Buffaloes defender made amends with an impressive block in stoppage time to deny Costa Rica a second goal.
Lushomo Mweemba (9/10)
Mweemba must be feeling on top of the world right now. She will always be remembered as the first Zambian to score a goal in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. For the third game in a row, the defender made the most clearances (5) for her side.
Martha Tembo (7/10)
Tembo took one for the team early on, as she was shown a yellow for a professional foul. The left-back made three tackles, three interceptions, and an important clearance.
MIDFIELDER
Susan Banda (7/10)
Despite her erroneous back pass to Catherine Musonda, it was Banda who got Zambia ticking in the middle of the park. The veteran made two tackles and as many clearances against Costa Rica.
Evarine Katongo (6/10)
The youngster will be impressed with her performance, as she kept Las Ticas’ midfielders quiet in the first half. After bamboozling the defender, she provided the pass with which Barbra Banda won the penalty for the second goal.
Avell Chitundu (8/10)
Chitundu left her all on the pitch. The midfield maestro will always be remembered as the first Zambian player to provide an assist in the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. She made three tackles and a vital interception against Costa Rica.
FORWARDS
Hellen Chanda (7/10)
Chanda, just like her injured namesake Grace, offered good support to Kundananji and Barbra Banda upfront. No Zambian player made more tackles (3) than Chanda against Costa Rica.
Rachael Kundananji (8/10)
Kundananji was an attacking menace against Las Ticas on the night. She completed more successful dribbles (6) and shots on target (4) than any other player on the pitch. The forward killed off the game with a late goal and made the joint-most tackles (5) for her side.
Barbra Banda (10/10)
We are running out of superlatives to describe the brilliance of this player. She made history by scoring the 1000th goal in the history of the Women’s World Cup before setting up Kundananji’s goal. The talismanic figure was unplayable against Las Ticas, as she won the joint most fouls for the Copper Queens.
SUBSTITUTES
Mary Wilombe (6/10)
She was brought in in the 74th minute for Evarine Katongo to stabilize the midfield, which Costa Rica took full control of.
Xiomera Mapepa and Hellen Mubanga (N/A)
The pair was introduced late on to replace some tiring legs and give Costa Rica something to think about on the counterattack.
COACH
Bruce Mwape (8/10)
What a perfect way to respond to criticism! Mwape produced a masterclass against Las Ticas to collect Zambia’s first-ever World Cup win. Zambia played their cards right against Costa Rica. It was a result and performance from which Mwape and his technical team can take a lot of positives going into the future.
