On Wednesday evening, Zambia thrashed Angola 6-0 in the first leg of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifiers in Luanda, with Barbra Banda netting a hat-trick.

Lushomo Mweemba, Ireen Lungu, and Racheal Kundananji were the other scorers.

The win gave Zambia a massive advantage heading into the second leg. They are now on the verge of qualifying for the WAFCON for the fifth time.

The Copper Queens have competed in the tournament four times: in 1995, 2014, 2018, and most recently in 2022, where they finished third for the first time ever.

Banda has been a key player for the Copper Queens since making her debut appearance in 2016 and has now scored 47 goals in 48 matches.  

After the game, the captain stated that they still want to finish off their opponents on home soil.

“We still have a long way to go. We are not underestimating them,” stated Banda in a post-match interview, adding that, “we still want to finish them at home.”

Banda believes the Copper Queens “had good teamwork from the start; that’s why I had to find a chance to score a hat trick.”

Meanwhile, Banda is pleased with how her team took advantage of the opportunities that were presented to them.

“I think as a team we played well because we created a lot of chances in the first half, but I think we were in a hurry……. We had to take our time and utilize the chances that we had in the second.”

Copper Queens to play at Levy Mwanawansa for the first time

Zambia will host Angola at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola for the second leg.

It will be the first time the Copper Queens will play a home match in a stadium with a seating capacity of over 40,000.

In July this year, they made history after filling up the 10,000-seat Woodlands Stadium during a friendly match with Tanzania.

The winner across the two legs will book a place at the 2024 WAFCON tournament to be hosted in Morocco.