Copper Queens forward Grace Chanda scored her first goal for either club or country since June 2023 on Sunday night in Madrid CFF’s 6-1 Liga F win over Valencia.

The former Zesco Ndola Girls forward was introduced in the 81st minute and scored her team’s fifth goal. It was her first Madrid appearance since recovering from an eight-month illness last month.

After recovering from an illness that kept her out of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in June, Chanda was named to Copper Queens coach Bruce Mwape’s 34-member squad for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games qualifiers against Morocco.

She had not played football in eight months and was seen seeking divine intervention from various preachers prior to being named to the squad.

The 26-year-old Madrid CFF attacker last played for her club in May 2023, in a 2-1 Liga F win over Barcelona last season, in which her compatriot Racheal Kundananji, who now plays for Bay FC in the United States, scored twice.

Chanda: From warming the bench to scoring

Following her return, she only appeared on the bench three times before playing nine minutes, during which she scored and had two shots on target.

Chanda scored three goals in 11 starts out of 26 games for Madrid CFF before becoming ill. It was her first season with the club, which she joined on a two-year contract in 2022 from BIIK Kazgurt.

The former Red Arrows forward last appeared for Zambia in a 2-0 victory over Morocco, which secured the country’s Olympic qualification last month.

The playmaker, who was voted runner-up for the 2022 CAF Women’s Footballer of the Year Award, which was won by Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala, will be looking to return to her usual form.

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