By Angela Bambala Bwalya
Zambia U-17 women’s national team player Dorcas Mulosha says the Copper Princesses must learn from their disappointing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup campaign and address their mistakes ahead of future international assignments.
Zambia endured a difficult tournament in Morocco, losing all three Group D matches to exit without a point.
The Copper Princesses began their campaign with a heavy 5-0 defeat to Japan before suffering a 3-2 loss to Venezuela. They then concluded their group-stage fixtures with a narrow 1-0 defeat to France.
The results left Zambia bottom of the group, having scored twice and conceded nine goals across their three matches.
Mulosha admitted that the team’s slow start, particularly the heavy opening defeat, made it difficult to recover and build momentum in the competition.
“We didn’t start the games well. We lost the first game by a huge margin, so the chances of winning became very low,” she said.
Despite the disappointing results, Mulosha believes the experience has provided valuable lessons that the young squad must use to improve its performances in future competitions.
“But we’ve learnt a lot from the games we’ve played. Next time, we will work on those mistakes,” she added.
For Mulosha and several of her teammates, the tournament also represented an important introduction to the demands of competing at a World Cup, offering an opportunity to measure themselves against some of the world’s best young players.
The experience, she believes, will help the team identify its weaknesses and return better prepared for future international assignments.
“It was my first time playing World Cup games, and for some other players as well, so we will improve and work on our mistakes,” Mulosha said.
While Zambia’s campaign ended earlier than hoped, the Copper Princesses will be looking to build on the experience gained in Morocco, with Mulosha stressing the importance of learning from their setbacks rather than allowing the results to define the team’s future.
The challenge now will be to translate those lessons into improved performances as the young Zambian side continues its development on the international stage.
