Zambia U17 Women’s National Team captain Ruth Mukoma says the team wants to win the COSAFA U17 Girls Championship that is currently underway in Namibia.
Mukoma says even though the opponents are playing well the team will rise to the occasion and reach the final.
Zambia faces Zimbabwe on Friday at the Hage Geingob Stadium in Windhoek, Namibia for a place in the final of the regional showpiece.
“We have reached the semifinals, but we won’t stop here — we want to win the cup. Even though our opponents are playing well, we will also rise to the occasion. Despite not performing very well in the previous match, we’re working on the areas where we fell short, and we’re confident we’ll play better in the next game,” she said.
“We’re facing Zimbabwe next, and it’s going to be a tough match. They won 12-0 in their last game, and we won 9-0. So, it will come down to strength and determination. The stronger team will reach the final — and we intend to be that team, because we want to win and make it to the final. That’s where we’ll truly see if we can lift the cup,” she added.
In the last game against Mauritius, Zambia wasted a lot of chances which Mukoma says they have worked in and only players in good position will shoot at goal against Zimbabwe.
“In our last game, everyone wanted to score, but we missed a lot of chances. In the next match, we want to make sure that only players in good positions take the shots — not just anyone, especially when tightly marked,” Mukoma said.
“Our defenders are okay, but the strength of our team is that everyone can attack. Everyone has the ability to score. So even when the strikers don’t score, the defenders can step up. That’s why I believe our team is in good shape.”
The Copper Princesses will square off with Zimbabwe at the Hage Geingob stadium with kick off set for 12h00, and the match will be live on FIFA+.
