By Angela Bambala Bwalya
Zambia Under-17 forward Gift Mazimba has urged the Copper Princesses to improve their finishing and maintain their work rate as they prepare for a crucial Group D encounter against France at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026.
Zambia suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to Venezuela on Wednesday, conceding a stoppage-time winner despite twice taking the lead through Precious Mwewa and Grace Phiri.
Mazimba believes the Copper Princesses could have secured a better result had they been more clinical in front of goal, particularly in the first half when they created several scoring opportunities.
“Today’s game was okay. We were just supposed to score a lot of goals from the chances we missed in the first half,” Mazimba said.
Despite the disappointment, the forward remains confident that Zambia can build on their performance against Venezuela as they turn their attention to Saturday’s decisive meeting with France.
Mazimba stressed that the team must maintain the same determination and work ethic while urging supporters to continue backing the players.
“Where we have stopped today is where we are going to start from against France. The effort we stopped at is the one we are going to continue with. We will work hard, and they should just continue to support us,” she added.
She also encouraged her teammates to remain focused and put the defeat behind them as they prepare for their final group-stage assignment.
“I will just encourage my friends to concentrate because this is now water under the bridge,” she said.
The Copper Princesses face France on Saturday, October 24, at 18:00 hours, needing a strong performance as they seek their first points of the tournament.
With their hopes of reaching the knockout stage under pressure after two consecutive defeats, Zambia will be looking to address their finishing problems and turn their attacking opportunities into goals when they take on the French side.
