Twice beaten, twice shy, perhaps it’s safe to say the Copper Queens did not learn anything from their 5-2 loss in their first game against South Korea last Friday.
With 100 days to go before the World Cup kicks off, the Copper Queens suffered yet another defeat this time 5-0 against the Asians. The ladies showed very few flashes of brilliance throughout the game.
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 (4/10): Gave away a clumsy penalty as she brought down Son Hwayeon. She did very little to organize her backline as she conceded five goals. It is evident Musonda’s presence at the back to orchestrate a more defensively compact backline was lacking.
Defenders
RB:.Mary Mulenga (4/10): Playing in Margaret Belemu’s position was going to be a conundrum. Mulenga couldn’t quite handle the threat that came from South Korea’s wingers. The hosts particularly targeted the right side of Zambia’s defense as an avenue to cause problems for the visitors.
CB: Agness Musesa (5/10): Musesa’s partnership with Pauline Zulu was a reflection of Zambia’s defensive frailties in the absence of Lushomo Mweemba. It’s obvious the duo has not acclimatized yet and lacked the chemistry needed to shield their goalie. The Green Buffaloes defender did not show what has cemented her name in the starting lineup at the club level.
CB: Pauline Zulu (5/10): Elite Ladies center-back lacked the fluidity to deal with Korea’s dangerous threats. She had an unconventional long-range attempt at the end of the game which resulted in a corner.
LB: Martha Tembo (6/10): The experienced fullback was taken off at halftime and was replaced by Judith Soko. The Kazakhstan-based defender tried her best to keep the South Korea’s at bay but there is so little one player can do against a superior opponent.
Midfielders
CM: Mary Wilombe (5/10): couldn’t create anything meaningful with the ball at her feet and casually gave away possession. Zambia’s midfield was ineffective as the Koreans were having a field day.
AM: Ochumba Oseke (5/10): Operating as a false 9 and in the midfield, the Red Arrows envoy had a chance to score a consolation goal in the latter stages of the game but couldn’t quite find the back of the net.
She protected the ball effectively and gave a few neat passes but couldn’t break South Korea’s stubborn defense.
AM: Grace Chanda (5/10): She couldn’t quite impose herself on the game and was easily outmuscled. The Madrid CFF player was restricted to putting in a good shift.
Forwards
RW: Rachael Nachula (4/10): Taken off in the 33rd minute, Nachula was only a shadow of herself. The Zaragoza CFF striker did very little to influence the game and was replaced by Hellen Chanda.
ST: Barbra Banda (5/10): She played in a much deeper role and struggled to influence the game in attack. The Copper Queens skipper gave away a penalty that led to South Korea’s first goal. The skipper was far from her usual best. She may have been equally disappointed in herself and the team at large.
LW: Rachael Kundananji (6/10): Showed a few bright spots in attack but couldn’t quite get her name off the score sheet. The Madrid CFF forward was limited and failed to infiltrate a well-organized Korean defense. The 22-year-old was all over the pitch but unfortunately, her exploits did not pay dividends.
SUBSTITUTES
Hellen Chanda(4/10): Put in an underwhelming performance for a player brought in the first stanza to influence the game following Nachula’s poor performance.
Judith Soko(4/10): Put in a good shift after coming on to replace the injured Martha Tembo but couldn’t stop the Asians from increasing the scoreline.
Susan Banda (N/A): Came in the 87 minutes and didn’t have enough touches on the ball.
Coach ratings
Bruce Mwape (3/10): The coach failed to make impactful substitutions and was poor in reading the game. Beaten by an aggregate score line of 10-2, Bruce Mwape and his technical bench should be worried as they head to the World Cup.
It’s evident the defense remains the Copper Queens’ biggest weakness but the gaffer’s excuse that the poor performance is a result of absentee key defenders in Lushomo Mweemba and Margret Belemu also confirms that his selection was poor.
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Copper Queens were chasing shadows, and if the result in the first game was bad this one was worse as they visibly played without a proper system.
