Zambia’s national women’s football team, the Copper Queens, have been crowned champions of the 3 Nations Women’s Tournament after recording a draw and a win over Malawi and Zimbabwe respectively.
A commanding 3-1 victory over Zimbabwe’s Mighty Warriors sealed the title for Zambia, with Enelesi Phiri bagging a brace and Natasha Nanyangwe adding the third. Zimbabwe captain Nobukhosi Ncube scored a stunning consolation free kick.
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The Copper Queens finished the tournament with four points, having earlier played out a goalless draw against Malawi’s Scorchers in a match that saw both Rose Kabzere and Nanyangwe have goals disallowed.
Zimbabwe ended the competition in second place with three points, courtesy of their hard-fought 2-1 win over the Scorchers in the opening match on Friday, November 28. Ethel Chinyerere struck twice before Faith Chinzimu pulled one back for the hosts.
The Scorchers finished winless, collecting just a single point from their draw against Zambia.
The tournament delivered an unusual statistical quirk: all but one goals scored across the three matches came in just one half of play.
In the opening fixture, all three goals came in the first half. The second match saw both teams find the net exclusively in the second period. The final encounter returned to first-half scoring, with all four goals coming before the break.
Tournament Statistics
Goals Scored:
- Zambia: 4 goals (1 vs Malawi, 3 vs Zimbabwe)
- Zimbabwe: 3 goals (2 vs Malawi, 1 vs Zambia)
- Malawi: 1 goal (0 vs Zambia, 1 vs Zimbabwe)
Golden Boot: Three players finished joint-top on two goals: Zambia’s Enelesi Phiri and Natasha Nanyangwe, and Zimbabwe’s Ethel Chinyerere. Phiri claimed the Golden Boot after providing an assist for Nanyangwe’s goal against Malawi.
Global stars Tabitha Chawinga (Scorchers/Olympique Lyonnais, France) and Rachael Kundananji (Copper Queens/Bay FC, USA) both failed to find the net during the tournament.
However, Kundananji was voted Player of the Tournament for her inspirational performances in leading Zambia to the title.
The tournament, organized by the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) and initially planned for four teams before being scaled back, served as crucial preparation for the Scorchers ahead of their maiden WAFCON appearance in Morocco next year, with Zambia also benefiting as another qualified nation.
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