By Angela Bambala Bwalya
Zambia U-17 women’s national team goalkeeper Winfridah Mutale has urged the Copper Princesses to shift their focus to the upcoming COSAFA competition after a disappointing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup campaign in Morocco.
Zambia exited the tournament without a victory, losing all three of their Group D matches to finish bottom of the standings with zero points.
The Copper Princesses opened their campaign with a heavy 5-0 defeat to Japan before suffering a 3-2 loss to Venezuela. They concluded their group-stage fixtures with a narrow 1-0 defeat to France.
The results left Zambia with two goals scored and nine conceded, falling short of their expectations on the global stage.
Mutale admitted the team had failed to deliver the performances they had hoped for, acknowledging that their earlier displays were below the required standard.
“The tournament didn’t go as we planned because what we planned was never what we expected. But looking at the games that we played previously, we didn’t perform well,” Mutale said.
The goalkeeper identified the number of goals conceded in the opening matches as a significant setback, explaining that the team struggled to recover after falling behind.
“We conceded a lot of goals in two games, and it was hard for us to come back,” she said.
However, Mutale believes Zambia showed signs of improvement in their final match against France, suggesting that a similar performance in their earlier fixtures could have improved their chances of reaching the knockout stages.
“Today’s game, we played well. If we played the same game that we played today in the previous matches, we could have qualified. Today we played a better game than the previous games that we played,” she added.
With their World Cup campaign over, the Copper Princesses will now turn their attention to the COSAFA competition scheduled for December, where they will have an opportunity to regroup and put the lessons learnt in Morocco into practice.
Mutale acknowledged the disappointment of supporters following the team’s early exit but expressed gratitude for their continued backing.
“We appreciate their support, and we now focus on COSAFA that is in December. Sorry to disappoint them, but we are grateful for the support that they showed us,” she said.
The goalkeeper also drew strength from her faith, emphasising the importance of trusting God through difficult circumstances.
“And the Bible says we shouldn’t be focused in whatever situation and circumstances we find ourselves. God has a reason why we found ourselves in this situation, and we thank God for this same situation where He has us,” Mutale said.
For the Copper Princesses, the December assignment offers an opportunity to respond to their World Cup disappointment, rebuild confidence and demonstrate progress after a challenging introduction to the global stage.
