The hosts were a tad superior to Bruce Mwape’s Copper Queens in the first of two World Cup preparatory matches.
Despite flashes of brilliance in the latter part of the first half, Mwape and his coaching staff will need to get back to the drawing board. The Copper Queens named a decent starting XI in the absence of key players like Margaret Belemu and Lushomo Mweemba.
Bolanews rates the performances of the Zambian national women’s team out of 10 in their humbling defeat to South Korea.
Goalkeeper
GK: Catherine Musonda (5/10): As much as Musonda should take a share of the blame for conceding five goals, she was not well protected by her defense. The shot-stopper produced a number of impressive saves (5) to keep the score decent enough. However, Hazel Nali is likely to return between the posts in the next match. Musonda lacked a stronger command of her back line which Nali is well known for.
Defenders
RB: Esther Siamfuko (4/10): Standing in for a player of the caliber of Margaret Belemu is no easy task. Siamfuko really struggled to keep up with the trickery and flair of South Korea’s wingers. The hosts particularly targeted the right side of Zambia’s defense as an avenue to cause problems for the visitors. The Copper Queens’ gaffer Mwape eventually replaced Siamfuko with Mary Mulenga on 65 minutes.
CB: Agness Musesa (5/10): Musesa’s partnership with Pauline Zulu was not as effective as that with Lushomo Mweemba. The duo lacked enough chemistry and communication to read the penetrating runs of South Korea’s attack. The Green Buffaloes Ladies’ defender will need to get back to her best if the Copper Queens are to stop South Korea’s front line in the second fixture.
CB: Pauline Zulu (5/10): Elite Ladies center-back Pauline Zulu was caught napping on a number of occasions as South Korea’s strikers ghosted in behind the defense. Despite making some good defensive interventions in the first half, her performance in the second half was quite poor. The fifth goal for the home side came as a result of Zulu’s failure to communicate with her goalkeeper.
LB: Martha Tembo (7/10): The flying fullback was restricted to a much more defensive role than usual. The Kazakhstan-based defender put her body on the line multiple times to stop the Asian side from causing a lot of damage from her flank. Her decent defensive shift also came with a pass that unleashed Rachael Kundananji for the equalizer.
Midfielders
CM: Evarine Katongo (5/10): Katongo did not enjoy a huge amount of comfortable possession in the middle of the park. Zambia’s midfield was nowhere to be seen in the second half as the hosts ran riot to score four more goals.
CM: Ireen Lungu (5/10): Just like Katongo, Ireen Lungu did not offer enough in the second period of the friendly encounter. The Copper Queens’ best football came in the spell of the match where the pair dictated the midfield. However, they were not able to sustain that throughout the 90 minutes. Bruce Mwape will have to work tirelessly to ensure that aspect of the game is improved, particularly when it comes to distributing the ball to the forwards.
AM: Grace Chanda (6/10): For Zambia to shine and progress effectively, they need to get Grace Chanda into the game. The Madrid CFF is arguably the most technically gifted player in the squad. But against South Korea, she did not play her best game, as she usually received the ball when heavily marked.
Forwards
RW: Rachael Nachula (4/10): Nachula barely contributed to anything significant during the match. The Zaragoza CFF striker was kept quiet for over an hour before being withdrawn for Xiomara Mapepa.
ST: Barbra Banda (7/10): The Copper Queens skipper was one of the few Zambian players that impressed in the match. She expertly converted a chance that saw the visitors running away with a victory at the halftime break. The talismanic figure also contributed defensively and won a couple of aerial challenges against South Korea’s backline.
LW: Rachael Kundananji (8/10): Kundananji was easily the Copper Queens’ most outstanding player of the match. The Madrid CFF forward brought her scoring touch from Spain to South Korea. The industrious striker flicked the ball into the net to draw parity before delivering a perfect assist for the second goal. The 22-year-old was all over the pitch as she also made key defensive contributions at the back.
SUBSTITUTES
Xiomara Mapepa (4/10): The Zambian women’s league top scorer did not get a chance to showcase her pace and finishing as most of her work was defensive.
Mary Mulenga (4/10): Mulenga was introduced as a replacement for the underwhelming Siamfuko. She did not offer anything exceptionally impressive either.
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Inonge Kaloustian and Susan Banda (N/A): Zambia’s new girl, Inonge Kaloustian, made her debut for the Copper Queens towards the end of the match. Meanwhile, Susan Banda also got some minutes in the tank.
