By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –
THE Shepolopolo yesterday left for Zimbabwe to finish the job they started last Sunday in their pursuit for a place at the Rio De Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games.
After shelving their travel arrangements by a day, the Albert Kachinga-coached side finally left Lusaka for Harare hoping to build on the 2-1 first leg lead at Nkoloma Stadium.
The Zambia women football team will clash with Zimbabwe’s Mighty Warriors tomorrow.
As the team was leaving, led by Lenny Nkhuwa, the FAZ executive committee member and head of women football, they were reminded on the need to first please the Zambian fans and then redeem some battered pride.
The Zambian football fans were left less than impressed with the team after the Shepolopolo fell 4-2 at home to Tanzania and this was made worse by the manner in which they gave away the win.
But in the return leg in Tanzania, the Shepolopolo showed what the fans wanted to see, a fighting team with the Zambian side winning 3-2 away but that victory was not enough to qualify the team to the 2015 All Africa Games (AAG).
In the Olympics qualifier, Zambia beat tough Zimbabwe at home and will be looking to finish off the job tomorrow.
Nkhuwa said the team was focused and the same spirit the team had going into the first leg was the same one they had travelled with to Zimbabwe.
“The philosophy of ‘if not broken, don’t fix it’, is what the coaching bench have, the girls did so well in the first leg and they are determined to fight on and will be propped to do that,” she said.
The players  who left for Zimbabwe are goalkeepers, Chiko Nkhoma and Hazel Nali while the defenders are Meya Banda (captain), Memory Mwasebe, Margaret Belemu, Lweendo Chisamu, Martha Tembo, Jane Nshika Chalwe, Annie Kabanji, and Anita Mulenga.
The midfielders are Mary Wilombe, Osala Kaleo, Ireen Lungu, Barbara Banda, Esther Mukwasa, Joana Benai with the strikers are Helen Mubanga, Misozi Zulu, Milika Limwanya and Agnes Musase.