Zambia defender Margaret Belemu marked her Maccabi Kishronot Hadera debut with a goal as the Israeli Women’s Premier League side thrashed Netanya Girls 6-0 on Thursday.
The Copper Queens right-back came off the bench in the 57th minute before completing a memorable debut by scoring Hadera’s sixth and final goal in the 85th minute.
Belemu joined Hadera in July ahead of the 2026-27 season but had to wait to link up with her new teammates after representing Zambia at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The 28-year-old’s move to Israel represents her second spell abroad, following a short stint with Turkish side Hakkarigucu Spor.
Belemu has been a consistent presence in the Zambia national team, featuring prominently during the Copper Queens’ rise on the international stage.
She was part of the Zambia side that qualified for the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica and has subsequently featured in campaigns involving the Olympics, Women’s World Cup and Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
She has also played in the qualifiers and tournament finals for the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games, as well as the 2022 and 2024 WAFCON tournaments.
Belemu previously came close to joining Chinese Women’s Super League club Shanghai Shengli in 2020, but the proposed move collapsed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hadera are affiliated with Spanish club Villarreal, adding another dimension to Belemu’s latest move abroad.
Meanwhile, fellow Zambia international Martha Tembo was an unused substitute as Hapoel Raanana suffered a 1-0 defeat by FC Kiryat Gat.
