Five-time winners Zambia and Namibia will contest the Hollywoodbets Cosafa Cup 2022 final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday after they booked a place in the decider with semifinal wins on Friday.
Zambia defeated west African guest nation Senegal with a thrilling 4-3 victory, truly a Cosafa Cup classic for the ages, while Namibia edged Mozambique 1-0 in their last-four clash.
Namibia will now be seeking to add to their single regional crown which was earned in 2015 but come up against a Zambia side looking to join Zimbabwe on the all-time record of six tournament wins.
It will be a fascinating clash at the iconic 2010 Fifa World Cup stadium that has a 7pm CAT (SA, GMT+2) kick-off on Sunday.
Zambia tore through Senegal as Kelvin Kampamba scored two beautiful goals, one a long-range effort in the first half and the other a deft touch into the roof of the net from a tight angle.
Spencer Sautu and Ricky Banda scored the other goals for the rampant Chipolopolo, while Lamine Camara, Jean Diouf and Moussa Ndiaye netted for the Senegalese as they made Zambia sweat late on.
Namibia’s only goal in their tussle with The Mambas was scored by Bethuel Muzeu after only six minutes as they held on for the win and just their third ever Cosafa Cup final.
It was another solid display from a side that have yet to concede a goal in this year’s competition.
Mozambique and Senegal will contest the bronze medal match on Sunday, also at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, which has a kick-off time of 3:30pm.
Hosts South Africa and Botswana will contest the Plate competition decider that will be staged at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium on Sunday (10am).
South Africa defeated Madagascar 2-1 in their semifinal with Keletso Sifama and Chumani Butsaka on target, while Koloina Razafindranaivo scored for the islanders.
The other semi saw Botswana claim a comfortable 2-0 win over Eswatini thanks to goals from Bame Morwalela and Resaobaka Thatanyane.
Fans wishing to attend games at the Cosafa Cup must collect their free match tickets from the venue the day before the match is played.
There will be plenty of entertainment on the go on finals day at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, with artists Nelisiwe, DJ Le Soul and Maxhoba providing the music to create the party atmosphere.
Thasitha Technologies, in partnership with Vodacom, will also introduce the Fanmode Mobile App at the final.
The Fanmode App is a fan engagement platform whereby supporters at the stadium and those at home can interact with the vibe of the match through their support by cheering, clapping and even blowing their Vuvuzelas shown live through various platforms, including TV live broadcasts.
For the first time fans attending the matches will be able to connect and download the Fanmode App through the Free WiFi platform during the final, making ‘the world a stadium’ for the first time in African Football.
If you are unable to make it to the stadium you can following the match live on SuperSport, or stream it on www.cosafa.tv.
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
Plate Semifinals
Madagascar 1 South Africa 2 (Razafindranaivo 87’) (Sifama 23’, Butsaka 85’)
Botswana 2 Eswatini 0 (Morwalela 41', Thatanyane 87')
Cup Semifinals
Namibia 1 Mozambique 0 (Muzeu 6')
Zambia 4 Senegal 3 (Kampamba 18', 61’, Sautu 36', Banda 58’) (L. Camara 22’, Diouf 72, Ndiaye 88’)
SUNDAY’S FIXTURES
Plate Final
South Africa v Botswana (KO 10h00; 08h00 GMT) – Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium
Cup Third-Place Play-Off
Mozambique v Senegal (KO 15h30; 13h30 GMT) – Moses Mabhida Stadium
Cup Final
Namibia v Zambia (KO 19h00; 17h00 GMT) – Moses Mabhida Stadium