Zambia on Thursday ended their three-year wait for a COSAFA U20 Cup final appearance following a 3-0 semifinal victory over Angola at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka.
The result handed Zambia its first final since 2016 when they went on to lift the title away in South Africa.
Zambia secured their place in the final thanks to goals from midfielder Patrick Gondwe who struck a brace in the 31st and 76th minutes.
Striker Francisco Mwepu added the final goal in the 80th minute to stay on course for the 2019 COSAFA U20 Cup Golden Boot after taking his tally to four goals for the tournament.
The result ended Angola’s unbeaten run in the tournament and they came into the penultimate round match as the most prolific side on 13 goals while Zambia were a close second with nine goals.
Zambia will face defending champions South Africa in the final on December 14 at the same venue.
South Africa reached the final following dramatic comeback in the lunchtime kickoff at Nkoloma against Madagascar when they rallied from two-down at halftime to level 2-2 in stoppage time and subsequently win 5-4 on post-match penalties.
Interestingly, the final will be a repeat of the 2016 decider when Zambia beat hosts South Africa 2-1.
Meanwhile, Madagascar and Angola will meet for Bronze in the curtain-raiser this Saturday.
