Zambia made history when they lifted the Cosafa Women’s Championship trophy for the first time beating Banyana Banyana 1-0 in extra time at the Isaac Wolfson Stadium in Kwazakhele on Sunday.
Team captain and goalscoring machine Barbra Banda broke the deadlock in the second half of extra time when she scored the winning goal for Zambia to overcome coach Simphiwe Dludlu’s the young SA.
The match was goalless through regulation time.
Despite the loss, stand-in coach Dludlu (34) will leave Gqeberha proud of her youngsters' efforts.
The under-17 national women’s coach, took charge of the second-string, emerging combination at Cosafa as Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis and her first-string team played last week’s two friendlies against Brazil.
Zambia defeated Tanzania 2-1 in the semifinals to bring an end to their tournament, while SA edged neighbours Namibia 1-0 in the other of two contests that could have gone either way.
Banyana struggled to break through Zambia’s defence in the first half despite playing with a strong wind at their backs.
Their only clear chance came towards the end of the first half but Sinazo Ntshota’s attempt was blocked by Zambia goalkeeper Catherine Mlisonda.
Zambians posed the bigger threat in the first half giving the SA backline sustained headaches.
Zambia continued with their attacking form in the second half, with strong skipper Banda muscling her way through the Banyana defence. She constantly knocked on the door of the hosts as she pursued the winner.
Banda, who was named player of the tournament, finally got her breakthrough in the 108th minute when she headed home the crucial goal to send her teammates wild with celebration.
Defending champions Tanzania beat Namibia 2-1 in the earlier third-place playoff and took bronze.
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