U-17 World Cup: Kanyemba blames Zambia defeat to nerves and defensive lapses

Zambia national U-17 team suffered a 2-1 defeat in the opening fixture of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Group F match on Sunday.

Victoria Mbali stabbed Zambia into the lead, only for Mary Nyangu to gift Paraguay a leveller. The goalkeeper saved Alison Bareiro, but then lost control of the ball and it drifted over the line. A Sofia Cabrera corner was then turned into her own net by Nana Malanda.

The Africans had the better of the possession and the opportunities after the restart, but Tamara Amarilla was infallible in the South Americans’ net.

Zambia have seen errors against Paraguay

Speaking after the game, coach Carol Kanyemba said the Copper Princesses had seen the errors committed during the first game, and will work on them before they return to action in Morocco for matchday two.

“We need a lot of concentration in the back and in goal. Our goalkeeper was a bit jittery, but this is a developmental stage. We’ve seen the errors and will work on them,” Kayemba said as quoted by Bola News.

“The girls picked up well in the second half, and we’ll build on that performance. It’s not an easy path going forward, knowing Japan and New Zealand are strong teams, but we’re not giving up. Mistakes are normal in football — it’s part of the learning process.”

On her part, goalscorer Mbali said: “I think we just need to improve our communication. We had a good game, but it just wasn’t our day. We still have two more matches, and if we win them, we can still qualify for the round of 16.”

Zambia will return to action against Japan in a must-win contest on Wednesday.