Zambia have given themselves an excellent chance to qualifying for the knockout phase at the 2024 HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championships as they defeated Angola 3-0 in the opening match of Group C at Isaac Wolfson Stadium on Thursday.
In the other match of the day in Group D, Mozambique edged Zimbabwe 1-0 and will also now be favourites to advance from the pool.
Ochumba Lubandji, Lungowe Namasiku and Regina Chanda were on the scoresheet for 2022 champions Zambia on their country’s 60th commemoration of Independence Day.
Angola started the game well, dominating and creating good scoring chances but were kept at bay by Zambia goalkeeper Ng’ambo Musole.
Angola had an early chance in the opening 10 minutes with Ruth Lopes’ tame effort easy saves for the Zambia number one.
Zambia settled and had Namasiku getting in the 18 yard area, firing the ball just over the bar. Soon after, Angola won a free-kick and Zeferina Caupe stepped up but hit the cross bar.
The sides exchanged possession until Namasiku set up Lubandji from the left for the opener on the half hour mark. The Copper Queens kept applying pressure however were let down by their final touches in the final third.
There was opportunity for Angola to equalise just before halftime through Ana Da Costa but her shot went wide, leaving her side trailing at the break.
It took just two minutes in the second half for the Copper Queens to extend their lead through Namasiku. She could have had a brace minutes after her first goal, however this time the Angolan keeper was alert to deny her.
Ten minutes into the half Angola scored through Paulina Lopes but that was flagged offside. Zambia coach Florence Nkatya wrung changes mid-way through the stanza, bringing in Chanda for Margaret Belemu and she secured victory with the third goal in the last 20 minutes.
Meanwhile In Group D, Mozambique edged Zimbabwe 1-0 in a repeat of last year’s third-place play-off clash. Ironically, it was Mozambique who denied the Mighty Warriors a spot on the podium in Gauteng.
Mozambique showed intention to score early in Gqeberha with Emilia Cazembe launching a long-range strike inside the opening five minutes but was denied by keeper Vanessa Lunga.
Still inside the opening 10 minutes, Nobukhosi Ncube crossed to Ethel Chinyerere but that only forced the keeper to come out for a save.
Mozambique won a corner-kick and Aurora Ngale made no mistake in breaking the deadlock from a tight angle of the short corner.
Mozambique had a chance to double their lead through Cidalia Cuta but the keeper punched away for corner and nothing came of it this time.
Zimbabwe kept on their search for an equaliser and would have levelled minutes closer to halftime but keeper Neima Nhamire made two important blocks to keep her side in the lead at the break.
At the start of the second half Zimbabwe brought on Priviledge Mupeti for Peacemore Kenende. That almost had an immediate impact for the Warriors and they again got in the box but denied yet again by Nhamire. Zimbabwe endured a frustrating second half as they could not make the possession and chances count.
Day four sees the second round of matches for Group A with Namibia against Seychelles at 12h00 CAT and hosts South Africa against Eswatini in a top of the table clash at 15h00 at Wolfson Stadium.
Entrance for fans to all matches will be FREE of charge, with tickets available at the stadium on match day. They distributed on a first come, first served basis. You can view all of the fixtures here.
If you cannot get to the stadium, you can watch all matches streamed LIVE on FIFA+.
THURSDAY’S RESULTS
Group C
Zambia 3 (Lubanji 30’, Namasiku 47’, R. Chanda 87’)
Mozambique 1 (Ngale 18’) Zimbabwe 0
FRIDAY’S FIXTURES
Group A – Wolfson Stadium
Namibia vs Seychelles (KO 12h00; 10h00 GMT)
South Africa vs Eswatini (KO 15h00; 13h00 GMT)
GROUP STANDINGS
| GROUP A | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| Eswatini | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 3 |
| South Africa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Namibia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| Seychelles | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | -6 | 0 |
| GROUP B | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| Madagascar | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Botswana | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Malawi | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mauritius | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 0 |
| GROUP C | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| Zambia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Comoros | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Angola | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
| GROUP D | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| Mozambique | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Lesotho | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zimbabwe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
TOURNAMENT STATS
Matches Played: 6
Goals scored: 19
Biggest victory: Eswatini 6 Seychelles 0 (Group A, October 22)
Most goals in a game: 6 – Eswatini 6 Seychelles 0 (Group A, October 22); Madagascar 5 Mauritius 1 (Group B, October 23)
GOALSCORERS
3 goals – Tenanile Ngcamphalala (Eswatini)
2 – Celiwe Nkambule (Eswatini), Sarah (Madagascar)
1 – Regina Chanda (Zambia), Faith Chinzimu (Malawi), Julie Gopal (Mauritius), Louisa (Madagascar), Ochumba Lubanji (Zambia), Laone Moloi (Botswana), Tshegofatso Motlogelwa (South Africa), Lungowe Namasiku (Zambia), Nokuthula Ndlovu (Eswatini), Aurora Ngale (Mozambique), Ny Kanto (Madagascar), Sylvia (Madagascar)
La Zambie et le Mozambique débutent bien
La Zambie n’a pas vraiment rencontré de difficulté pour se défaire de l’Angola. En fait, on attendait un match équilibré. Finalement, les Copper Queens ont été totalement à leur avantage au cours de ce duel au Wolfson Stadium. Lubandji a fait la différence à la 29e minute en trouvant l’ouverture. Ce ne fut pas facile car les Angolaises ont fait preuve de beaucoup de résistance en misant beaucoup sur leur défense notamment.
Juste après la pause, Namasiku trouvera également le cadre, donnant ainsi plus de relief au score. Ce second but offrait un peu d’air aux Zambiennes qui se montraient un peu plus libérées et qui commençaient vraiment à dérouler. Finalement, Chanda – qui était remplaçante au coup d’envoi – assurait définitivement les trois points de la victoire en envoyant un missile à l’entrée de la surface de réparation.
Pour sa part, le Mozambique a rencontré toutes les peines du monde pour se défaire du Zimbabwe. Les Mozambicaines se sont appuyées sur le but d’Aurora Ngale (17e) pour prendre un bon début dans ce match. Par la suite, elles ont dû constamment rester sur leur garde pour éviter le retour des Zimbabwéennes. Ces dernières ont fait preuve de beaucoup de résilience au cours du match mais cela n’a pas été suffisant.
L’Eswatini et l’Afrique du Sud ont l’occasion de faire un grand pas vers le dernier carré en cas de succès ce vendredi. Les deux pensionnaires du groupe A s’affrontent dans un duel qui a pris des allures de choc. Le faux-pas est interdit pour les deux équipes qui mènent dans cette poule avec trois points chacun. L’Eswatini a fait une démonstration de force contre les Seychelles en inscrivant six buts alors que l’Afrique du Sud a été plus discrète en patientant jusqu’à la fin pour s’imposer sur le plus petit des scores contre la Namibie.
La Namibie justement est en position délicate après cette défaite inaugurale. Les Namibiennes doivent impérativement se rattraper. Elles ont en tout cas un adversaire à leur portée car les Seychelles sont encore des novices dans cette compétition. C’est leur première participation et elles devront encore patienter avant d’acquérir de l’expérience. Sachant que les Seychelloises jouent face à une équipe qui est dans l’obligation de l’emporter, elles devront donc élever leur niveau de jeu.
L’Afrique du Sud a réalisé le coup parfait en s’imposant pour son match d’ouverture. Mais les Banyana Banyana ne devront pas se montrer trop confiante au moment de croiser le fer avec l’Eswatini. Il leur faudra plus de réalisme si elles veulent décrocher la victoire et se rapprocher de la demi-finale.
L’Eswatini a été présent dès les prémices du Championnat féminin de la COSAFA et, après une brève pause, l’équipe est revenue et a disputé les sept dernières éditions de cette compétition régionale. Ce pays attend toujours sa première qualification pour les phases à élimination directe, mais espèrent progresser régulièrement vers cet objectif et pourraient peut-être créer la surprise cette année.
Zâmbia bate Angola e Moçambique encosta Zimbabwe
A Zâmbia começou da melhor forma o Campeonato Sénior Feminino HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA-2024, ao vencer hoje, na primeira jornada do Grupo C, a seleção de Angola por 3-0, enquanto no Grupo D, Moçambique derrotou o Zimbabwe por 1-0. Os golos da Zâmbia foram marcados por Lubandji (29′), Namasiku (46′) e Chanda (71′), enquanto Aurora marcou para Moçambique aos 17 minutos. É importante recordar que as moçambicanas conquistaram a medalha de bronze contra estas adversárias na edição anterior realizada na província de Gauteng, na África do Sul, no ano passado.
No histórico de confrontos entre Moçambique e Zimbabwe neste torneio, esta foi a quarta vez que as duas nações se defrontaram. O encontro mais marcante ocorreu em 26 de abril de 2002, numa meia-final disputada em Harare, em que Moçambique foi derrotado por esmagadores 11-1. Em 2019, também no Zimbabwe, a equipa moçambicana sofreu outra derrota, desta vez por 4-0, terminando a fase de grupos sem somar pontos.
Com estes resultados, a Zâmbia lidera o Grupo C com três pontos, seguida por Angola e Comores sem qualquer ponto. No entanto, Comores será o próximo adversário de Angola na última jornada da fase de grupos, no dia 27 deste mês, fechando o ciclo com a Zâmbia a 29 do mesmo mês.
Em 27 de Outubro, o Zimbabwe enfrentará Lesotho no Madibaz Stadium às 15:00, enquanto dois dias depois, no mesmo local e hora, Moçambique jogará contra Lesotho na terceira e última jornada da fase de grupos.
Como vice-campeã, a Zâmbia, que não contou com as suas estrelas, priviligiando a inclusão de novos rostos no seio da equipa, entrou em campo determinada a resolver o jogo rapidamente. Um erro de comunicação na defesa angolana permitiu à Zâmbia marcar o primeiro golo aos 29 minutos por Ochumba Lubandji, jogadora do Red Arrows Women da Zâmbia.
Angola tentou reagir, mas o nervosismo e a falta de eficácia prejudicaram o desempenho da equipa treinada por Sousa Garcia. A Zâmbia conseguiu manter a vantagem e liderava ao intervalo. No início da segunda parte, a Zâmbia marcou o segundo golo aos 46 minutos por Lungowe Namasiku e ampliou a vantagem para 3-0 aos 71 minutos através de Regina Chanda. Dois erros significativos contribuíram para a derrota de Angola, que mesmo vencendo o próximo jogo, terá poucas hipóteses de avançar para as meias-finais, uma vez que estão num grupo com três equipas, assim como o Grupo D.
Os jogos continuam amanhã com o Grupo A entrando em campo, com o emocionante confronto entre África do Sul e Eswatini, equipas que venceram na primeira jornada contra Namíbia e Seychelles, respetivamente. O jogo está agendado para as 15:00 no Wolfson Stadium, precedido pelo embate entre Namíbia e Seychelles às 12:00.
Estas partidas serão decisivas, pois determinarão o destino de cada uma das equipas neste prestigiado torneio regional. De acordo com o regulamento da competição, as melhores equipas de cada grupo avançarão para as meias-finais, que serão disputadas a 31 de outubro, com a final marcada para 2 de novembro no Estádio Isaac Wolfson.
