Under-17 Women’s National Team coach Carol Kanyemba has expressed confidence that the Copper Princesses will bounce back and fight to qualify for the round of 16 at the ongoing FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
This comes after Zambia suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Paraguay in their opening group match on Sunday. Despite the loss, Kanyemba believes the team showed positive signs, particularly in the second half.
Speaking in a post-match interview, Kanyemba said the team would address its defensive mistakes and improve focus ahead of the next fixtures. “We need a lot of concentration at the back and in the goal. Our goalkeeper was a bit jittery, but as you know, this is a developmental stage and we’ve seen the errors. We are going back to the drawing board and we are going to work on them,” she said.
The Copper Princesses started the match nervously, conceding two early goals before settling into rhythm. In the second half, Zambia created several chances and managed to pull one back through forward Ruth Chanda, whose strike restored belief in the team.
Kanyemba said the technical bench was encouraged by the team’s second-half display and would build on that momentum for the upcoming matches. She also praised the players for their resilience and determination against a strong South American side.
Zambia is placed in a challenging group that includes Paraguay, Japan, and Germany. The team will need to secure positive results in the next two matches to keep their qualification hopes alive.
The coach reaffirmed her commitment to developing young talent through competitive exposure at international level. “This tournament is about growth and learning. The players are gaining valuable experience, and we are confident that we can still make it to the knockout stage,” Kanyemba said.
The Copper Princesses will next face Japan, a fixture that is expected to test their tactical discipline and mental strength. A win in that game would revive Zambia’s chances of advancing to the round of 16 and reinforce the progress made under Kanyemba’s leadership.