NDINAWE SIMPELWE
Ndola
THE Zambia under-15 girls team yesterday maintained their 100 percent record at the CAF African Schools Championship and qualified to the semi-finals while the boys side exited after finishing bottom of Group B.
After starting with a 3-0 bashing of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Monday, the girls’ team yesterday beat Morocco and hosts Zimbabwe in Harare.Phida Mazuwa scored the only goal as Zambia edged Morocco 1-0.
In the match against Zimbabwe, Zambia won 3-1 to finish top of Group A with nine points, with Mazuwa getting on the scoresheet to score her fifth goal of the tournament.
Zambia coach Chisala Chibesa was happy with the performance.
“We needed to send a strong message to the other teams. The girls showed great determination and we are here not just to participate but to compete and win,” Chibesa said.
Morocco, who drew 2-2 with Zimbabwe before beating DRC 2-1, finished second with four points and joined Zambia in the semi-finals tomorrow.
Zambia will face Group B runners-up Ghana, who managed six points, while Morocco will take on Group A leaders Burkina Faso.
Burkina Faso amassed seven points.
However, the boys’ team were eliminated.
Zambia opened with a 1-1 draw with Tanzania on Monday and yesterday lost 2-0 to Benin and drew 1-1 with Senegal to end bottom of the table with two points, same as Tanzania, who have a better goal difference.
Coach Evaristo Mkandawire picked lessons from the outing, saying exposure gained will be valuable.
“It has been a fulfilling outing and good exposure for these young players.
They have shown great potential,” Mkandawire said.
He said there is need to align school football projects with the senior national team agenda.
“There is a need for consistency in football philosophies between schools and the national team technical bench as the differences affected our overall performance,” Mkandawire said.
Captain Emmanuel Mpongo remained optimistic despite the early exit, saying the players have long careers ahead of them.
“All hope is not lost. There is a lot of potential in this team and we can grow into great players,” Mpongo said.
Senegal will face Group A runners-up Morocco while Benin will take on Group A winners Uganda tomorrow in the semi-finals…https://enews.daily-mail.co.zm/welcome/home
