The dream has been delayed again but it has not disappeared in this Zesco Ndola Girls Final Heartbreak.
ZESCO Ndola Girls vs Mamelodi Sundowns ended in another painful final defeat for the Zambian champions, who lost 2-1 in the CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA qualifier in Gaborone.
Refilwe Tholakele gave Sundowns an early lead, but ZESCO refused to let the occasion slip away quietly. Charity Mubanga equalised deep into first-half stoppage time, sending the teams into the break level and restoring belief that the Ndola Girls could complete the job.
The match was eventually decided from the penalty spot in the second half. Tholakele converted to complete her brace and send Sundowns to the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League finals.
ZESCO searched for another response, but the equaliser never arrived.
So close again for ZESCO Ndola Girls
The final whistle brought a familiar and especially cruel feeling. ZESCO also reached the 2025 regional final, only to lose to Gaborone United on penalties.
Two finals in two years demonstrate genuine progress, but they also leave the players confronting the hardest kind of disappointment: getting close enough to see the prize before watching someone else lift it.
Their campaign should not be reduced to the final result. ZESCO won all three group matches, eliminated Silver Strikers in the semi-finals and competed closely against one of Africa’s strongest women’s clubs.
Eneless Phiri reinforced her growing reputation with three goals and successive Player of the Match awards, while Mubanga finished an impressive tournament by scoring in the final. ZESCO also received the competition’s Fair Play award.
There will be difficult questions about how the team can take the final step. But first, the players deserve recognition.
They represented Zambia with courage, gave supporters something to believe in and returned to the regional final through merit—not luck.
The dream has been delayed again. It has not disappeared.
