By Mubukwanu Kaingu
Zambia women’s national under 20 coach Charles Haalubono has described his side’s 2024 COSAFA U20 women’s Cup title win as a sign of better things to come.
Young Copper Queens on Saturday clinched the COSAFA U20 Cup crown with a match to spare after beating Mozambique 1-0 in Johannesburg.
This is after Zambia finished top of the five-nation round-robin tournament with maximum 12 points from four games.
“I am proud of this team. Winning the COSAFA Championship is a good step in the right direction, having finished as runners-up in 2019. The girls put up a good performance, scoring 19 goals, and not allowing any goal is something we are proud of. I think the team can face any opponent now because they have grown in confidence,” Haalubono said.
“The future of women’s football is bright, and it is for this reason that we call on sponsors to come on board and support the growth of the women’s game.
“Most of the players were U17 graduates from the World Cup. The exposure they got was visible and helped us achieve this success. “
Zambia kicked off their campaign with a 9-0 win over Lesotho on November 19 and then defeated hosts South Africa 3-0 on November 20 and later crashed Botswana 6-0 on November 22.
The team’s win comes in the wake of the senior women’s victory in the 2024 COSAFA Women’s Cup also held in South Africa from October 22 to November 2.
Zambia beat South Africa 4-3 on post-match penalties following a scoreless draw after extra time.
