The Copper Queens suffered their second defeat at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup to bow out of the tournament following a 5-0 loss to Spain in Auckland on Wednesday.
La Roja took an early lead by scoring two goals in the first 13 minutes of the game, thanks to Abelleira and Jennifer Hermoso.
Abelleira scored in the ninth minute with a thunderous strike outside the box, firing into the near top corner, leaving Eunice Sakala with no chance.
Four minutes later, two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Petellas had enough space on the left side of Zambia’s box to curl in a cross to the far post, where Hermoso had a free header from close range to make it 2-0.
Zambia appeared to have found their mojo after two changes in the 37th minute, when injured Susan Banda was replaced by Marry Wilombe and Xiomara Mapepe by Avell Chitundu, with Barbra Banda attempting to score on two occasions.
Spain won, Sakala won hearts
In the second half, Spain continued from where they left off, but Zambia showed a little resistance, with Sakala making brilliant saves.
La Roja’s third goal came in the 69th minute, when 2022/23 Liga F topscorer Alba Redondo timed her run perfectly, beating Sakala, who rushed off her line, to slot the ball into an empty net.
Disaster followed as defensive woes in Zambia’s half saw Hermoso score her second goal of the match to make it 4-0 in the 70th minute. It was her 50th international goal that was initially ruled out, but after a VAR review, it stood.
Another defensive blunder resulted in Redondo being unmarked inside the box as she cooly slotted home her fifth goal for La Roja which was first ruled offside but overturned after a VAR review.
Despite conceding five goals, Sakala made eight saves in the match to stand out for Zambia.
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The result meant Zambia and Costa Rica who also lost 2-0 to Japan are out of the competition. Spain and Japan have since sealed their qualifications for the knockout from group C.
The Copper Queens will conclude their World Cup campaign on Monday with a match against Costa Rica in a dead rubber.
