ZAMBIA GOES FOR CHINA

By MICHAEL MIYOBA                                                                                       AFTER their embarrassing 10-3 defeat to the Netherlands in a group F fixture at the ongoing 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in Japan, the Zambia national women’s football team will today fight for redemption when they face battered China PR at Miyagi Stadium in Rifu. The Copper Queens who are Africa’s sole representatives in …

ZAMBIA GOES FOR CHINA
By MICHAEL MIYOBA                                                                                       AFTER their embarrassing 10-3 defeat to the Netherlands in a group F fixture at the ongoing 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in Japan, the Zambia national women’s football team will today fight for redemption when they face battered China PR at Miyagi Stadium in Rifu. The Copper Queens who are Africa’s sole representatives in the women’s football tournament will need an outright win to have a chance of progressing past group F. With the team’s defence having been bleached ten times by the Dutch, Copper Queens coach Bruce Mwape is expected to make amends to overcome the Chinese who are also seeking redemption from a 5-0 routing by rampant Brazil in their first encounter. The Copper Queens will look up to their captain Barbra Banda who wrote her name in the history books after becoming the first Zambian to score in the women’s football tournament. The Shanghai Shengli striker who scored a treble to become the first African and Zambian to find the net on three occasions in her first game in the quadrennial sporting showpiece will aim to break more records as she faces the country where she plays her professional football. Banda is now the leading African goal scorer at the tournament after overtaking Nigeria’s duo of Mercy Akide and Perpetua Nkwocha, who are tied on two goals each. The Copper Queens will be encouraged by the return of defender Martha Tembo who missed the opener with the Netherlands through suspension. The Green Buffaloes defender is expected to strengthen the defence which the Chinese may want to take advantage of knowing that it is the team’s weakest link. After being outclassed by Brazil in the first encounter, Jia Xiuquan’s team will also seek victory knowing that a win over Zambia may propel them to three points to be on par with Brazil or Netherlands who will clash in another group F fixture.