Menzi Magubane
UBarbara Banda usevele waqopha umlando. Ukaputeni weqembu lebhola labesifazane lase-Zambia ungowesifazane wokuqala ukushaya amagoli kulandelana emidlalweni yama-Olimpiki.
Bakhishwe yiqembu eliqinile lase-Netherlands elibashaye ngo-10-3 emdlalweni wokuvula ngoLwesithathu, okuwukwehlulwa kwabo okubi kakhulu kuze kube yimanje.
Kodwa konke lokho akusho lutho njengoba uBanda eshaye amagoli amathathu. Ube ngumdlali wokuqala ukushaya igoli le-Zambia kuma-Olimpiki waphinde waba ngumdlali wokuqala wase-Afrika ukushaya amagoli kulandelana kule midlalo.
Lo mdlali oneminyaka engama-21 uqhubeke nefomu lakhe lokushaya amagoli bedlala ne-China ngoMgqibelo. I-Copper Queens yehlulwe ngo-3-1, kodwa ukapteni wazama ukudlala ngogqozi lokukhuthaza iqembu lakhe ukuthi libuyele emdlalweni obubukeka ungaphezu kwamandla abo.
Uphinde washaya elinye igoli ukutholela iqembu lakhe iphuzu elibalulekile emdlalweni ophele ngo-4-4.
“Kuningi esikwenze ngcono ngesikhathi sibhekene ne-China. Ngithanda umoya weqembu esinawo,” kusho uBanda etshela i-FIFA.com ngemuva komdlalo wabo ne-China.
Umhlaseli wase-Shanghai Shengli njengamanje ungumgadli ohamba phambili ngokuhlanganyela noVivianne Miedema wase-Netherlands. Baphinde balingana nerekhodi lika-Christine Sinclair lamagoli ayisithupha awathola kuma-Olimpiki ase-London ngowezi-2012.
Okulandelayo ngumdlalo wokugcina weqembu ngoLwesibili ne-Brazil.
“Kungokokuqala emncintiswaneni omkhulu wamantombazane amaningi. Sinomuzwa oqinile wokuthi kukhona esingakwenza emdlalweni wesithathu ne-Brazil. Sifuna amaphuzu amathathu,” esho.
Ukuqhathwa ne-China kusho ukuthi i-Zambia isakhona kulo mqhudelwano futhi amaphuzu aphezulu ngoLwesibili azobabona beya kuma-knockouts kodwa uBanda usenezifiso ze-Tokyo 2020.
“Ngizimisele ngokuba ngumdlali webhola ohamba phambili emhlabeni.”
Elinye igoli lizomnika isimo esingalindelekile sokuba ngumshayi magoli ohamba phambili kunabo bonke emqhudelwaneni owodwa.
Umthombo wesithombe: @ fifa.com