- Zambia thrashed Togo to finish top of the group
- Cameroon edged out Tunisia to finish second
- Tunisia can qualify as one of the best placed number three teams
Zambia and Cameroon have progressed into the quarter finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco after winning their final group stage matches.
Zambia thrashed debutants Togo 4-1 to conclude the group phase top with seven points while Cameroon edged out Tunisia for second place after winning 2-0 to get their count to six points.
Zambia will be top of the pile and now hope to get their groove on in the knockout phase as they seek their first ever Continental crown.
“We played well today. We had Togo where we wanted them to be and we made sure that we executed our game plan. We realized that they chose to push all the way to the halfway line so we made sure to use our runners who were faster than their defenders and that gave us an edge,” said Bruce Mwape, the Copper Queens head coach.
Chanda scores a brace and named best of the match
Zambia during a past match. PHOTO/FAZ
Grace Chanda scored a brace while Irene Lungu and Xiomara Mapepa added one each, with Togo’s consolation scored by Afi Woedikou.
The Zambians started the mat bright and had a brilliant chance to break the deadlock after only three minutes. However, Lushomo Mweemba saw her penalty saved by keeper Ame Amouklou.
Chanda however broke the deadlock on the quarter hour mark after running to a through ball before rounding the keeper and slotting into an empty net despite some defensive pressure.
Six minutes later Lungu made it 2-0 with a long range effort that also dived into an empty net after the keeper’s clearance way off her line landed straight into her path.
A howler from the Zambian keeper saw Togo halve the deficit in the 35th minute. The shot stopper had come out to collect a long ball but misjudged the bounce, the ball looping over her and Woedikou doing the simplest tasks of running it into the net.
But Zambia restored their two goal lead four minutes to the break, Mapepa striking a brilliant left footed shot from a tight angle on the left.
In the second half, Zambia continued dominating and Chanda completed her brace with a close range header off a looping cross from the left.
Cameroon bounce back to qualify
Cameroon celebrate their victory over Tunisia. PHOTO/CAF
Meanwhile, Cameroon recovered from back to back losses to put their campaign back on track with a 2-0 win over Tunisia to move to five points and finish second in the group.
An early strike by attacker Michaela Abam and a late goal from Ajara Nchout gave the Indomitable Lionesses the win at the Stade Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca.
Despite the defeat Tunisia also advance to the last eight as one of the best third-placed teams as they finished third in the group with three points.
Michaela Abam scored the opener for the Indomitable Lionesses after three minutes, a goal that needed to be cleared by VAR as Cameroon started well. The Tunisians mounted pressure as they sought a way back, but coulnd’t get a goal.
In the second half the match was more of a see saw affair, but it was Cameroon who sealed the tie deep into stoppage time through Ajara Nchout.
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