Zambia, Mozambique secure semifinal spots in COSAFA Women's Championship

Posted : 11 October 2023

Zambia and Mozambique have both secured their places in the semifinals of the 2023 HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women's Championship. They achieved this by winning their respective Group B matches against Comoros and Angola in Gauteng on Tuesday.

The defending champions, Zambia, faced a tough challenge from Comoros, who were already eliminated from the tournament. Comoros held Zambia to a 1-1 draw at halftime. Fridah Kabwe, who scored a hattrick, opened the scoring for Zambia within the first 20 minutes.

However, Mohamed Rouika equalized for Comoros four minutes before halftime. In the second half, Kabwe completed her brace just before the hour mark, followed by a quick goal from captain Lushomo Mwemba a minute later.

With 16 minutes left on the clock, Kabwe scored her third goal, and Sarah Jere converted a penalty four minutes before the final whistle at the University of Johannesburg in Soweto. This result ensured that Zambia finished at the top of the group, tied on seven points with Mozambique.

Mozambique faced Angola in the Lusophone derby in the other decider at Dobsonville Stadium. Mozambique needed a late penalty from Amelia Banze to secure the win and finish as the best runners-up.

This outcome eliminated any chances of teams in Group A to qualify for the knockout phase, as they could only reach six points. Malawi had already qualified in first place in the group with a match to spare, so neither South Africa nor Eswatini, who played in the later kick-off, could progress.

South Africa, last year's finalists, finished strong as they defeated Eswatini 3-0 in that encounter. Thubelishle Shamase completed a hat-trick, scoring in the first half and adding another goal in the second stanza. This increased her personal goal tally to five and helped South Africa finish second in their group with six points.

Malawi also secured a victory with a 3-1 win against Madagascar in Pimville. Vanessa Chikupila, Leticia Chinyamula, and Asimenye Simwaka scored for Malawi, while Helisoa Kanto scored the consolation for Madagascar. The Scorchers finished at the top of the group with a perfect record, while Madagascar exited the tournament without registering a single point.

One team from Group C will complete the semi-final line-up, and the winner of the top-of-the-table clash between Zimbabwe and Botswana, scheduled for Wednesday in Dobsonville, will fill that spot.

The Mighty Warriors are currently at the summit with six points, while the Mares are behind them with four points. Namibia and Lesotho will play for pride in the dead rubber match to be held at the University of Johannesburg Soweto campus. These matches will kick off at 15h30.

Zambia, Mozambique secure semifinal spots in COSAFA Women's Championship

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