Copper Queens script national history in final World Cup game

Copper Queens script national history in final World Cup game
Credit: Icon Sport

The Copper Queens of Zambia squared off against Costa Rica in their final group game of the FIFA Women's World Cup. It's important to point out that both teams had nothing left to play for; as they had already been eliminated from the tournament after the first two rounds of fixtures. In spite of that, this will be a memorable competition for Copper Queens fans across the World.

Copper Queens get first ever FIFA Women's World Cup win

It may interest you to know that the Zambia Copper Queens had never played in the FIFA Women's World Cup up until this year. They had held their own against most of their African opponents, having won the COSAFA Cup last year.

However, Bruce Mwape's girls were out of their element in their World Cup opener; as they fell to Japan by a humiliating 5-0 scoreline. On top of that, the Copper Queens had to do without first choice goalkeeper Catherine Musonda, who was sent off due to a bad tackle a few minutes before the final whistle. Sure enough, fortunes didn't improve without their shot-stopper, as Zambia suffered another 5-0 loss to Spain in their second group match.

At this point, Bruce Mwape's girls had no goals at the FIFA Women's World Cup; they had also conceded more goals than every other team. However, the Copper Queens found their stride in their third match; as Lushomo Mweemba opened the scoring just three minutes after kick-off, registering Zambia's first ever FIFA Women's World Cup goal.

The Copper Queens prevailed in their final match, with a 3-1 victory over their Central American opponents. With that in mind, Zambia have their first ever Women's World Cup win. Although at the time of writing, they've conceded the highest number of goals in this tournament.

Barbra Banda scores 1000th Women's World Cup goal

Interestingly, a first win at the FIFA Women's World Cup isn't the first thing that Copper Queens fans will be grateful for; as captain Barbra Banda scored the 1000th goal in Women's World Cup history. This comes 45 years after Rob Rensenbrink scored the 1000th goal at the Men's World Cup. The Zambian captain was the star in Monday's game, registering a goal and assist.

What this result means for the Copper Queens

To be fair, both teams had already been eliminated from this tournament after the first two rounds of fixtures. However, with the Copper Queens' victory over Costa Rica, they get to leapfrog their opponents into third-place. On the other hand, Costa Rica now find themselves in last-place, with no points, and just one goal scored.

This article was most recently revised and updated 2 years ago

Kelechi is a huge sports fan with over 10 years of betting experience. He has written thousands of match previews on football, tennis, basketball and American football in the past few years. Kelechi has worked with a few reputable brands like Afrik-Foot, Football Whispers, What Are The Odds and Pundit Feed.