Zambia’s Under-17 women’s national team, the Copper Princesses, suffered a 3-0 defeat to China in a pre-World Cup friendly played behind closed doors at the Complexe Sportif Moulay Rachid in Morocco on Friday afternoon.
The match provided Zambia with an opportunity to assess their preparations ahead of the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, which kicks off in Morocco on 17 October. Despite a goalless first half, China eventually found their rhythm after the break to secure a convincing victory.
China created several promising opportunities in the opening period, with Liu Yuxi striking the post in the 15th minute before Bai Shuiling headed wide as the Asian side pressed for an opener. Zambia goalkeeper Bukata Kakumbi also made important interventions to keep her team in the contest as the Copper Princesses struggled to contain their opponents’ attacking pressure.
The deadlock was broken just two minutes into the second half following a defensive mix-up between substitute Gift Mazimba and Kakumbi, which resulted in an own goal and handed China the advantage.
Zambia attempted to respond, with Precious Mwewa heading towards goal from a corner in the 50th minute before Grace Phiri produced an acrobatic effort in the 63rd minute as the Copper Princesses searched for an equaliser.
Kakumbi continued to work under pressure and made an excellent save to deny Zheng Niman in the 60th minute. However, China maintained their attacking momentum and doubled their lead in the 69th minute when Yang Yuhan converted a pass from Zheng Niman.
Zambia made further changes in an effort to find a response, introducing Elizabeth Mofya and Phidah Muzuwa for Lillian Mwenda and Beatrice Njobvu. In the 85th minute, Grace Phiri, Taonga Mubanga and Faith Kaunda were withdrawn for Ethel Njobvu, Agness Mwaka and Faith Kapilingo.
China had already completed the scoring in the 84th minute through Zhao, sealing a 3-0 victory in the behind-closed-doors encounter.
Although the result was disappointing for the Copper Princesses, the friendly offered valuable preparation against international opposition as the team works towards the start of the global tournament. Zambia will now look to address the weaknesses exposed by China and sharpen their performance ahead of the group stage.
The Copper Princesses have been drawn in Group D alongside Japan, Venezuela and France, setting up a demanding challenge in their bid to make progress at the tournament.
Zambia will begin their campaign against Japan on 18 October before facing Venezuela on 21 October. Their final group-stage fixture will be against France on 24 October.
The 10th edition of the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup will run from 17 October to 7 November in Morocco, featuring 24 teams, including five representatives from Africa, with the hosts among the participating nations.
Zambia will be making their fourth appearance at the tournament after previously qualifying for the 2014, 2024 and 2025 editions. With the opening match against Japan approaching, the Copper Princesses will be aiming to turn the lessons from their defeat to China into improvements as they prepare for the challenges ahead.
