The Copper Queens were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Botswana on Saturday afternoon at Lucas Moripe Stadium in their first international friendly of the current FIFA window.
The first half ended goalless, with both sides recording three goal attempts. Zambia edged slightly ahead with one shot on target, while Botswana failed to register any.
Botswana started brightly and looked eager to find an early opener. However, six minutes in, Zambia took control of the game. Grace Chanda nearly set up Barbra Banda with a clever through ball, but Botswana goalkeeper Lesego Moeng reacted quickly to snuff out the danger.
Zambia showed more attacking intent, dominating with 61% possession. They thought they had taken the lead in the 22nd minute when Racheal Kundananji headed the ball into the net, but the goal was ruled out for a foul.
In the second half, coach Nora Häuptle brought on Mwila Mufunte in place of Catherine Musonda between the posts. The Copper Queens came close again as both Chanda and Kundananji hit the woodwork within minutes of each other.
Looking to add more creativity, Prisca Chilufya was replaced by young midfielder Mercy Chipasula.
Zambia finally broke the deadlock in the 67th minute through captain Barbara Banda, who notched her 58th international goal. Nachalu dribbled into the box and found Chipasula, who laid it off to Katongo. Her shot was saved by Moeng, but Banda was perfectly positioned to bury the rebound from close range.
However, Botswana found an equalizer in the 79th minute. A cross into the box was mishandled by Mufunte, allowing Gaonyadiwe Ontlemetse to tap in the equalizer.
Saturday’s draw adds to Häuptle’s recent record of five matches: a 2-0 win and 3-2 home loss against Malawi, a 3-2 defeat to Thailand, and a 4-3 victory over Uzbekistan.
Zambia will next face WAFCON defending champions South Africa on Tuesday. It will be the first meeting between the two nations since their dramatic 2022 WAFCON semifinal clash, which Banyana Banyana won 1-0.
READ MORE: ‘The vision is to win WAFCON,’ says Nora Hauptle but urges caution
