Zesco Girls fall in COSAFA final

ZESCO Ndola Girls missed out on the CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA Qualifier 2026 title on Saturday evening after a 2-1 defeat to South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in the final. ‎ ‎It was a case of déjà vu for the Zambian champions, who were also losing finalists in last…

‎ZESCO Ndola Girls missed out on the CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA Qualifier 2026 title on Saturday evening after a 2-1 defeat to South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in the final.
‎
‎It was a case of déjà vu for the Zambian champions, who were also losing finalists in last year’s COSAFA Qualifier.
‎
‎Sundowns made a perfect start when Refilwe Tholakele opened the scoring in the 2nd minute.
‎
‎ZESCO responded and fought back, equalizing deep in first-half stoppage time through Charity Mubanga to send the teams into the break locked at 1-1.
‎
‎The second half turned on two key moments. The Ndola Girls suffered a huge blow when star midfielder Eneless Phiri was injured and replaced by Fridah Kabwe.
‎
‎Then in the 64th minute, the referee awarded Sundowns a penalty after a VAR review confirmed a foul inside the ZESCO penalty area.
‎
‎Tholakele stepped up and converted to score her second of the match and restore Sundowns’ lead.
‎
‎ZESCO pushed for another equalizer but could not break down the South African defense.
‎
‎ZESCO reached the final after edging Silver Strikers of Malawi 2-1 on Thursday.
‎
‎Earlier in the tournament, the Ndola Girls topped Group A with 9 points from 3 wins.
‎
‎The COSAFA Qualifier serves as the regional pathway for Southern African clubs to reach Africa’s premier women’s club competition — the CAF Women’s Champions League. With the win, Mamelodi Sundowns will represent the COSAFA region at the continental finals.
‎
‎It was a heartbreaking end for ZESCO, who conceded a controversial late penalty to lose the regional crown for the second year running.