Match report as Zambia, whose first two games ended in 5-0 hammerings, finished third in Group C, with Japan top after their 4-0 thrashing of Spain; Costa Rica finished bottom and did not pick up a point in their three matches
Monday 31 July 2023 19:12, UK
Debutants Zambia claimed their first ever victory at the Women's World Cup with a 3-1 win over Costa Rica at Waikato Stadium, although both teams were already out of contention for the knockout stage.
Zambia, whose first two games ended in 5-0 hammerings, finished third in Group C, with Japan top after their 4-0 thrashing of Spain. Costa Rica finished bottom and did not pick up a point in their three matches.
Defender Lushomo Mweemba scored the fastest goal of the tournament so far, with a spectacular volleyed effort at two minutes and 11 seconds, and captain Barbra Banda doubled the lead from the penalty spot just after the half-hour mark.
Zambia were awarded the spot kick after Banda went to ground inside the six-yard box and the forward stepped up to calmly slot the ball into the bottom left corner, scoring the 1,000th goal in Women's World Cup history.
Playing at their second World Cup, Costa Rica were still searching for their first win in the competition and cut the deficit early in the second half, when Melissa Herrera bundled the ball home after goalkeeper Catherine Musonda was unable to clear it.
Costa Rica appealed for a penalty when midfielder Priscila Chinchilla collided with Musonda in the box, but were denied after a lengthy VAR check when replays showed forward Sheika Scott was offside in the build-up.
Herrera had the ball in the net again with around 20 minutes remaining but was ruled offside and Valeria Del Campo fired wide before, against the run of play, Zambia's Racheal Kundananji scored from Banda's cross in stoppage time to seal a historic win.
The group stage has begun and runs over a two-week period finishing on August 3. Group winners and runners-up progress to the round of 16, which takes place from August 5 to August 8.
The quarter-finals, which will be held in Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane and Sydney, are scheduled for August 11 and 12.
The first semi-final will then be played on August 15 in Auckland, with the other semi-final taking place on August 16 at the Accor Stadium in Sydney, which will then host the final on August 20.
A third-place play-off will be played the day before the final on August 19 in Brisbane.
