By MICHAEL MIYOBA
ZAMBIA’S under-20 women’s national team players are bubbling with confidence ahead of today’s crucial 2022 Costa Rica FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup third round, second leg qualifier against Ghana.
The Copper Princesses who arrived in Accra yesterday will need to make up for the goalless draw in the first leg in Zambia to beat Ghana and progress to the final qualifying round of the youth women’s World Cup.
Striker Xiomara Mapepa who features for Lusaka Dynamos said the players were ready to face the Black Princesses who proved to be tough opponents in the first leg played two weeks ago in Lusaka.
Mapepa said preparations went well and the girls were determined to utilise their chances after failing to mae use of the many scoring chances created in the first leg.
“Personally, I want to score a hat trick to show that I can do better. We will manage them they are not strong. They are old while we are young but we will contain them. To the fans who believe in us, we promise them to work hard and not disappoint them,” Mapepa said.
Meanwhile, defender Esther Siamfuko of Queens Academy said the teams’ main aim is to beat Ghana to progress to the final qualifying round.
She noted that the Copper Princesses learnt a lot from the first leg which presented them a chance to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents.
Team coach Charles Haalubono named a 22-member squad for today’s third round, second leg 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Ghana.
Haalubono has retained faith in the players who posted a 0-0 home draw against the Black Princesses with the addition of two under-17 starlets Jessy Zulu and Lubasi Pumulo who won gold at the just ended African Union Sports Council Region V Games Maseru 2020.
The winner over the two legs will face either South Africa or Uganda in the penultimate qualifying round.
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