Florence Mwila vows to fix ZESCO Ndola Girls’ ‘grey areas’ after back-to-back COSAFA final losses

ZESCO Ndola Girls head coach Florence Mwila has described her side’s 2-1 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in the CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA Qualifier final as “not part of the plan” but insists the Zambian champions will return stronger.

The defeat marked another painful ending for ZESCO, who suffered a second consecutive loss in the regional final after Sundowns secured victory with a controversial late penalty in Botswana.

Slow start hurts ZESCO

Mwila admitted her team struggled to find its rhythm early in the contest but praised the players for fighting their way back into the game.

“I think we started on a very slow note, but the positive thing is that the girls pushed, equalized,” Mwila said.

The Zambian champions eventually found themselves under sustained pressure, with Sundowns capitalising late to secure the decisive penalty.

“Obviously they were so much under pressure, so we conceded that penalty which really put us down,” she said.

Positives despite final setback

Despite missing out on the regional title, Mwila believes ZESCO can take encouragement from their overall campaign.

The Zambian champions were impressive in the group stage, finishing top of Group A with nine points after recording three victories. They then edged Silver Strikers 2-1 to book their place in the final.

“We have picked up positives from here like the commitment and the fighting spirit from the players,” she said.

Mwila now wants those lessons to fuel ZESCO’s pursuit of another domestic championship, with the coach promising improvements before the team returns to continental competition.

“We have a task to defend the championship back home. We will improve in the grey areas as a team so that when we come back we will come back for the title.”

Sundowns book continental ticket

The victory hands Mamelodi Sundowns the COSAFA region’s ticket to the CAF Women’s Champions League continental finals.

For ZESCO, however, the immediate focus will shift to defending their domestic crown while addressing the shortcomings exposed during their latest continental campaign.