Online Reporter
DEFENDING champions Zambia will face Malawi in the final of the COSAFA Under-17 Girls’ Championship this afternoon after both won contrasting semi-final clashes at the Hage Geingob Stadium in Windhoek, Namibia yesterday.
As they have often done, the Young Mighty Warriors who hogged the limelight at the competition with their sensational 21-2 demolition of Lesotho once again came a cropper against neighbours and yet nemesis Zambia.
Last year, the Young Mighty Warriors crashed out following a 7-2 hammering by Zambia.
There was little change to that script yesterday as Zambia stormed to a 5-1 win over old foes Zimbabwe.
On their part Malawi needed a late goal to see of Mozambique in a tense semi-final. The deciding match will be played at the same venue at 2pm today with the third-place play-off between Zimbabwe and Mozambique to kick-off at 11am.
Both matches will be streamed live on FIFA+.
Against the Young Mighty Warriors, Zambia were always in control of their semi-final, although it did take until the 36th minute for them to take the lead through Natasha Kasema.
She added a second late on, while there were also goals for Hellen Banda, Beatrice Njobvu and Grace Phiri.
Zimbabwe’s consolation came from their Legends Football Academy 12-year-old sensation Dee Winnie Mapuwa, who netted her fifth of the tournament to move into second place in the Golden Boot race behind Lesotho’s Nancy Lebang, who has seven.
The second semi-final was a much tighter affair and was goalless until the 84th minute when Talandira Kachala’s free-kick into the box from all of 40 yards beat everybody and ended up in the back of the net.
Malawi were deserved winners having dominated large parts of the game and provided more attacking threat in the final third. Today, Zambia will be aiming for their third COSAFA Under-17 Girls’ Championship title and second in a row having claimed the 2024 tournament in South Africa in December.
Malawi will be appearing in their first final after finishing in third on home soil in 2022.
On that occasion they lost on penalties to Zambia in the semi-finals following a 2-2 draw, so Saturday’s clash provides the opportunity for some revenge.
COSAFA UNDER-17 GIRL’ CHAMPIONSHIP STATISTICS
Yesterday’s results
Zambia 5 (Kasema 36’, 90’, Banda 61’, Njobvu 80’, Phiri 82’) Zimbabwe 1 (Mapuwa 74’)
Malawi 1 (Kachala 84’) Mozambique 0
Fixtures today:
Third-place Play-off Zimbabwe vs Mozambique (11am) – Hage Geingob Stadium
Final: Zambia vs Malawi (2pm) – Hage Geingob Stadium
