ZAMBIA Shepolopolo U17 this Saturday continue their journey to emulate the Class of 2014 when they face Tanzania in a 2024 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup second round, final leg fixture in Dar es Salaam.
Coach Carol Kanyemba’s team heads into the final leg enjoying a healthy 5-0 home win they recorded last Saturday at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka.
A draw is all that Zambia needs to advance to the penultimate qualifying stage on the road to The Dominican Republic finals that the Caribbean nation will stage from October 16 to November 3.
Kanyemba said Zambia was not in Dar es Salaam for a formality because anything can happen in an away game on top of adjusting to the coastal humidity that has greeted them in the Tanzanian capital.
Expectations are high to ensure another huge result on the road considering the last Zambia U17 national women’s team to qualify to the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup.
The current senior Zambia women’s national team led by Barbra Banda, Hazel Nali and Grace Chanda were the last team to qualify for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in 2014 which was held in Costa Rica.
“We are sure they have read our strengths and weaknesses. We have also done that. We are not carrying this 5-0 with us,” Kanyemba said.
“We are starting the next game scoreless and we hope to defend and try to score many other goals as we go that way.”
Striker Blessings Maluba will be hoping to add to her brace from the first leg to continue the dream with two rounds to go.
The winner will advance to the third round in May where they will face the victor of the Uganda-Cameroon fixture.
Uganda was held 1-1 at home by Cameroon in the first leg on February 3 and the two sides meet in the final leg today in Yaoundé.
The final qualifying round to decide Africa’s three 2024 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup representatives will be played in June.
