Zambia and South Africa secured big wins on the opening day of the COSAFA Girls’ Under-17 Championship to lay down a marker about their potential to lift the trophy at the competition that is being held as part of the Region 5 Games Lilongwe 2022.
Zambia got their campaign under way with a 5-0 win over Botswana, a repeat of last year’s final in Maseru that was won 4-0 by the Young Copper Queens.
It was a strong start from the Zambians, as Bwalya Chileshe netted a brace and there were further goals for Zangose Zulu, Harriet Matipa and Jessy Zulu.
That has given them one foot in the semifinals, but they must still get a point against Comoros in their other pool game on Monday.
South Africa beat hosts Malawi 4-1 in their Group A opener, the latter making their debut in the competition.
Andielle Mibe scored a brace of goals in the first half and Mabahle Mdelwa got another as South Africa led 3-0.
Mbalangwe pulled one back for Malawi, but the comprehensive win was complete when Khutso Mogano added a fourth for the visitors.
South Africa next face Namibia on Saturday, while Malawi also take on the latter in their final pool match on Monday.
The Boys’ TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations | COSAFA Qualifier will get under way on Friday with just a single match in Group A that will see hosts Malawi take on Botswana (kick-off 20h00 CAT).
There has been a late change to the fixtures with Angola withdrawn after some of their players failed eligibility tests, meaning there are now only three teams in Group A. Namibia are the other side.
Group B will starts on Saturday when Seychelles take on South Africa in Group B (kick-off 15h30 CAT), while Zambia meet Mozambique in the other game in the pool at 18h30 CAT.
The top team teams in each pool advance to the semifinals, with the two finalists in this year’s competition qualifying for the TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria early next year.
With last year’s winners Angola no longer taking part, it looks an open field with any number of teams able to rise and take the trophy.
All matches will be streamed live on COSAFA.TV and FIFA+, and you can get a full rundown of the Girls’ fixtures right here, and the Boys’ matches here.
We will also be providing coverage across our multitude of social media platforms – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube – where we will provide news and behind-the-scenes features from Lilongwe.
THURSDAY’S RESULTS
COSAFA GIRLS’ UNDER-17 CHAMPIONSHIP
Group B
Zambia 5 (Bwalya Chileshe 20’, 78’, Zangose Zulu 22’, Harriet Matipa 63’, Jessy Zulu 90’) Botswana 0
Group A
Malawi 1 (Mary Mbalangwe 66′) South Africa 4 (Andielle Mibe 10′, 38′, Mabahle Mdelwa 41′, Khutso Mogano 84′)
FRIDAY’S FIXTURES
TOTALENERGIES U17 AFCON ALGERIA 2023 | COSAFA QUALIFIER
20h00 CAT (18h00 GMT): Malawi vs Botswana – Bingu National Stadium
STATISTICS
COSAFA GIRLS’ UNDER-17 CHAMPIONSHIP
Matches Played: 2
Goals scored: 10
Biggest victory: Zambia 5 Botswana 0 (Group B, December 1)
Most goals in a game: 5 – Zambia 5 Botswana 0 (Group B, December 1); Malawi 1 South Africa 4 (Group A, December 1)
STANDINGS
| GROUP A | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| South Africa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Namibia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Malawi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 0 |
| GROUP B | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| Zambia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
| Comoros | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Botswana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | -5 | 0 |
GOALSCORERS
2 goals – Bwalya Chileshe (Zambia), Andielle Mibe (South Africa)
1 – Harriet Matipa (Zambia), Mary Mbalangwe (Malawi), Mabahle Mdelwa (South Africa), Khutso Mogano (South Africa), Jessy Zulu (Zambia), Zangose Zulu (Zambia)
Source: COSAFA.com
