Fridah Mukoma, a striker for Copper Queens, has advised the team not to underrate Thailand in their 2025 Yongchuan International Tournament encounter this Saturday.

The four-nation competition, which takes place in Chongqing from April 5–8, includes host China, Uzbekistan, Zambia, and Thailand.

The final, scheduled for April 8, will match the winners of the semi-finals, with the other fixture matching China versus Uzbekistan.

Mukoma said she is excited to join the team and is embracing the call-up with all of her might.

“I’m happy to be part of the team; what I need to do is work hard,” she said. “The first game, we shouldn’t underrate our opponents; we need to win the first game against Thailand.” 

The COSAFA winning striker left Zesco Ndola Girls after scoring 14 goals to join United States side, Kansas City Current. However, she will spend the rest of the season in China at Beijing Jingstan Football Club on loan. 

Mukoma speaks of life in China.

Mukoma has so far scored three goals in two matches for her new club in the Chinese Women’s Super League. 

“I have settled in well here in China, and the competition is okay. I have managed to score two goals in three matches; everything is going well,” she said. 

On Zesco Ndola Girls winning the league, “I’m overjoyed by Zesco Ndola Girls’ title-winning run. Even if I came to play in China, the team still continued to work hard to be crowned champions for the first time.” 

“It’s about hard work; we have now seen Zesco winning the trophy this season, so it is just a matter of working hard.”

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