ROBINSON KUNDA, Lusaka
TANZANIA 0 ZAMBIA 4
THE Zambia under-20 women’s national team is certainly through to the second round of the 2016 Papua New Guinea FIFA World Cup after clobbering Tanzania in the first round first leg at Azam Sports Complex in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
Defender Ireen Lungu, who netted a brace, scored in either half for Tanzania to have a mountain to climb in the return leg set for Lusaka’s Nkoloma Stadium in a fortnight.
Zambia opened the goals galore just four minutes into the game through Memory Phiri to stun the partisan home crowd before influential defender Lungu doubled the lead on 20 minutes.
Barbara Banda added the third in the 33rd minute to pile more pressure on Tanzania.
In the second-half, the junior She-polopolo continued from where they left off dominating possession and Lungu grabbed her second goal from the spot-kick in the 50th minute.
The penalty was awarded after a Tanzanian defender handled the ball in the box.
Tanzania, who eliminated Zambia from the 2015 Congo Brazzaville All-Africa Games qualifiers, must score five unanswered goals to overturn the first round deficit and qualify to the next round.
“I am happy with the girls. It was not easy but they showed character and determination to win away [Tanzania]. We must not relax because football sometimes can be funny,” Zambia coach Oswald Mutapa said.
Winners will face either Botswana or South Africa in the second round slated for September.