By SANDRA MWILA
At Nkoloma Stadium –
Zambia 3 Namibia 1

•ZAMBIA’S Barbra Banda (left) battles for the ball with Lina Katuta of Namibia during yesterday’s Cameroon 2016 Africa Women Championship first round first leg qualifier match at Nkoloma Stadium. Zambia won 3-1. Picture By GWEN CHIPASULA

STRIKER Noria Sosala scored a brace as Zambia thumped Namibia to carry a comfortable lead heading into the Cameroon 2016 Africa Women Championship (AWC) first round return match to be played in two weeks time.
But despite the win, coach Albert Kachinga urged his side against complacency, saying  Shepolopolo had not yet qualified to the final round regardless of them mauling of the Gladiators.
Kachinga said Zambia will play until the final whistle of the return leg as the match was still on.
“Namibia gave us a good run for our money but it’s not yet over. We have not qualified to the final round till the last whistle,” he said in an interview after the match.
Sosala gave Zambia the lead as early as the third minute with a shot from outside the box after connecting a Grace Chanda timely pass.
Barbra Banda could have doubled Zambia’s score after nice work inside the box but she shot wide at goal.
Zambia continued pilling pressure and Chanda turned provider after doubling her side advantage in the 24 minute. Chanda dribbled past the Namibian defenders and goalkeeper Agnus Kauzuu to slot the ball into an empty net.
Namibia suffered a minor blow when their star player Zenatha Coleman suffered head injury but returned onto the pitch with her bandage but could do little as Zambia scored her third.
Sosala notched in her brace in the 44th minute with a well curled free kick to put Zambia in the driving seat.
Coleman almost got a vital away goal for the Gladiators but her effort in the 62nd minute was kicked off the goal by Annie Kibanji with keeper Hazel Nali well off her lines after her howler almost cost her team.
There were some concerns on the coaching bench after Rhoda Chileshe, who marked Coleman, limped out in the 81st minute and was replaced by Esther Mukwasa as Zambia continued pilling pressure on their visitors.
Namibia scored a vital away goal in extra time through Captain Lorriane Jossop with a long range strike after an interchange of passes outside the box.
This was sweet revenge for the Shepolopolo who lost 2-0 to Namibia at the 2014 AWC in Windhoek.
Namibia coach Jacqueline Shipanga said her team will try to use home ground advantage and reverse the score, advance to the next round and heaped praised on the Shepolopolo.
“The goals Zambia scored were good, hope we shall be comfortable when playing at our home ground,” she said.
The two teams meet on Friday, March 18 in Windhoek with the winner after the two legs playing victor of the ties involving Tanzania and Zimbabwe (1-2) for a place at the AWC final on November.