FIFA U-17 WWC: Zambia looked disjointed against Rwanda – Kanyemba

Zambia U-17 women head coach Carol Kanyemba admitted the early goal conceded against Rwanda was anticipated and did not dampen her team’s morale, as the Copper Princesses had been mentally prepared for such a situation.

Kanyemba admitted her side looked disjointed in the opening half but praised their character and response, which ultimately saw Zambia emerge 2-1 winners on the day and 4-1 aggregate victors.

ZAMBIA U17 GIRLS THROUGH TO THE FINAL QUALIFICATION ROUND OF THE 2026 FIFA World Cup. pic.twitter.com/KVbe3hZXdp

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Speaking at the post-match press conference at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, Kanyemba credited her players’ mental strength as the driving force behind the comeback but was quick to highlight areas needing improvement.

Zambia created chances but could not score

“Football is like that, conceding first does not mean the end of the game. At the break, we told them that what matters is how you respond after conceding,” explained the two-time World Cup qualifying coach.

“The fact that we struggled in the first half and when we created many chances we could not score shows we still have a lot of work to do.”

Meanwhile, Rwanda coach Oscarie Iragena attributed her side’s defeat largely to inexperience but remained optimistic about the future.

“Apart from inexperience, my girls lost because they could not match the speed of the Zambian players. But this is our first time competing at this level. We will go back and highlight the lessons learnt from these two games,” she said.

Zambia were stunned early in the contest when Rwanda took the lead through Sylvie Umwanankundi. who curled a superb effort over the defence, catching goalkeeper Bukat flat-footed as the ball nestled in the top corner.

Rwanda briefly took control of the game, forcing quick corners and applying pressure in the opening exchanges, but could not extend their advantage.

Zambia responded by pushing high into Rwanda’s half through Grace Phiri and Elizabeth Mofya, though their momentum was twice halted by the offside flag.

Zambia will face DR Congo in next round

The match developed into a seesaw battle, with Rwanda continuing to threaten while Zambia grew into the game. The Copper Princesses came close to equalising from a corner before Grace Phiri produced a brilliant run and set up Natasha Kasema, whose point-blank effort was brilliantly saved.

At the restart, Zambia made a tactical adjustment, resting Elizabeth Mofya and introducing Lillian Mwenda to inject fresh attacking impetus. Zambia returned with renewed purpose in the second half, driving forward aggressively but struggling with their finishing despite creating several chances.

The breakthrough came in the 74th minute, when Faith Kapulungu restored parity with a stunning strike from outside the box a moment of real quality that reignited Zambia’s momentum.

The Copper Princesses maintained the pressure and were eventually rewarded when Grace Phiri, a constant threat, was brought down in the box to win a penalty.

Natasha Kasema stepped up in the 82nd minute and confidently planted her effort beyond the reach of the Rwanda goalkeeper, sealing a hard-fought comeback victory. Zambia advanced to the next round where they will meet the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).