The Zambia female team, known as the Copper Queens, suffered a humiliating defeat at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, becoming the first African team to crash out of the global women’s football championship.
The devastating loss came after their second group match, which saw them concede an overwhelming 10 goals in just two games.
The Group C match, held at Eden Park Stadium in New Zealand, witnessed Spain dominate the field with an impressive 5–0 victory over the Copper Queens.
Teresa Abelleira and Jennifer Harmoso fired up Spain’s lead in the first 45 minutes, netting goals in the 9th and 13th minutes of the match, respectively.
As the second half progressed, Alba Redondo extended Spain’s lead to 3-0 in the 69th minute. Jennifer then struck again in the 70th minute, solidifying a 4-0 lead.
The rout was completed when Redondo secured her brace in the 85th minute, sealing an overwhelming 5-0 victory for Spain.
For the Copper Queens, this was undoubtedly a disappointing outing in the tournament after being humiliated by the same scoreline against Japan in their opening game.
Losing both of their group matches meant their journey in the 2023 Women’s World Cup came to an early and unfortunate end.
However, there is hope that this experience will serve as a valuable lesson for the African representatives, inspiring them to regroup and come back stronger in the next world cup.
In their final group stage showdown, Zambia is set to take on Costa Rica in a must-win match for the Copper Queens.
This is their chance to redeem themselves and not leave the international stage completely crushed.
