Zambia were held to a frustrating barren draw by Ghana in a FIFA U-20 World Cup qualifier at the Nkoloma Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Young Copper Queens failed to trouble the Black Princesses much with limited goal scoring chances, with the visitors leaving Lusaka the happier side with a valuable goalless draw.
Queens didn’t create many scoring chances and even when they did, not many of them forced Ghana keeper Konlan Findib to work much.
At the beginning of the game, Agnes Phiri was picked out by two pin point crosses from . Loveness Malunga on the left, but none of those two deliveries bore a shot on target. Her first with a shot at the backpost went wide while she had another with a header that couldn’t find the target.
Ghana went close in the 38th minute when Tedinah Sekyere’s free-kick from 25-yards out sailed just wide of the Loveness Tonge’s upright.
Queens should have gone ahead two minutes later when Loveness Malunga’s long ball found Siomala Mapepa, who placed his effort wide of the upright with Findib to beat.
Zambia continued to waste chances as the half drew to a close, this time Bertha Imponene heading over from 10-yards in the 43rd minute.
Ghana nearly broke the deadlock 10 minutes into the second half when Anasthesia Achiaa beat Tonge to the ball but ended up directing his inches wide of the upright.
With Zambia struggling to breakdown Ghana, Charles Haalubono introduced the skillful, Shelly Masumo while Ophelia Amponsah and Grace Buodu went on for Black Princesses.
Findib came to Ghana’s rescue lead in the 76th minute, as she came rushing off his line to deny Martha Katila, in the 12-yard area.
Haalubono’s charges pushed for a winning goal in the closing stages of the second half, but the Copper Queens struggled to break down a stubborn Princesses defence.
The return leg is set for Accra on December 18 with the winner over two legs qualifying to the final round and only two representatives from Africa will be at the Costa Rica FIFA World Cup.
