Zambia, Zimbabwe join SA in semis 

Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa booked their semifinal places in the semifinals of the Hollywoodbets Cosafa Women Championships in Polokwane after Tuesdays matches.

Zambia came from a goal down to defeat Eswatini 2-1 in their final Group B match at Seshego Stadium on Tuesday to stay on course to defend their Hollywoodbets Cosafa Women’s Championship title.

They join hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe, whose place is confirmed as the best runner-up, in the semi-final line-up after the Mighty Warriors defeated Botswana 1-0 in the other Group B clash played at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium.

South Africa will face Zimbabwe in the semi-finals, with Zambia to meet the winner of Group C, which will be determined on Wednesday.

Zambia coach Charles Haalubono made wholesale changes to the side that drew with Zimbabwe, with only Glory Chilenga retaining her place in the starting line-up.

But it was Eswatini who struck first, as Nonjabuliso Mokgale scored her second goal of the tournament inside the opening 20 minutes, capitalising on the goalkeeper being out of position and slipping the ball under her body.

The Copper Queens were forced to dig deep, and their response came from a set- piece. Mercy Chipasula delivered from the corner and captain on the day Agnes Musesa rose to head home the equaliser.

Zambia then completed the turnaround early in the second half as Avell Chitundu struck inside the opening five minutes of the restart.

Meanwhile, Rutendo Makore netted in the final 20 minutes for Zimbabwe to secure victory and progression to the knockout phase, helping her side finish second in the group behind Zambia, with both teams ending on seven points.

In the calculation for the best runners-up, the matches against the bottom side in Groups A and B are removed, which leaves Zimbabwe with four points on the mini-table and Malawi with three. No team can finish second in Group C with more than three points, so it means Zimbabwe have booked their spot in the last-4.

Already-qualified South Africa had to come from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Lesotho in their final Group A match at Seshego Stadium but still topped the pool with seven points.

In the other Group A decider at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium, Malawi defeated Angola 1-0, though the win was not enough for the Scorchers to progress from the group.

Madagascar will need just a draw against Mozambique in Group C on Wednesday at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium (kick-off 15h00 / 13h00 GMT) to progress, but a win for the latter and all three sides will be on three points.

A 1-0 win for Mozambique would in fact see current second-placed side Namibia advance, so everybody in the pool still has a keen interest on the outcome.

Entrance for fans to all matches will be free of charge. Tickets are distributed on a first come, first served basis.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.