Zambia Open COSAFA Title Defence With Dominant 3-0 Win Over Botswana

Defending champions Zambia have begun their HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championship title defence on a commanding note with a 3-0 victory over Botswana in a Group B encounter played at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.

First-half dominance laid the foundation for the Copper Queens, with Regina Chanda opening the scoring before Susan Banda and skipper Kabange Mupopo added further goals to seal a convincing win for the side under interim coach Charles Haalubono.

Zambia showed early intent and controlled proceedings from the opening whistle, dictating the tempo and creating several attacking opportunities against a Botswana side that struggled to contain the defending champions’ attacking movement and width.

The result sees Zambia move to the top of Group B on superior goal difference after Zimbabwe registered a 2-0 win over Eswatini in the earlier match at the same venue.

With confidence boosted by the opening victory, the Copper Queens will now turn their attention to a crucial clash against Zimbabwe on Sunday, a fixture that could prove decisive in the race for a semi-final place.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe made a solid start to their campaign with a composed 2-0 triumph over Eswatini, setting up a highly anticipated top-of-the-group showdown against Zambia. Botswana, on the other hand, will be seeking to bounce back when they face Eswatini in their next Group B fixture as the battle for progression intensifies in what is widely considered one of the tournament’s toughest pools.