Chipolopolo saw off a plucky Lesotho side 3-2 to book their place in the 2016 Cosafa Castle Cup Plate final, at the Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek on Tuesday.
Zambia dominated the opening stanza, but let Lesotho back in the game with the mountainous nation scoring in quick succession either side of the break only for Chipolopolo to hit back with a comeback of their own; to subsequently seal victory.
The four-time champions hit the back of the net through Paul Katema on 14 minutes. Having ghosted past his marker, the midfielder headed home a superb header at the near post.
Chipolopolo looked the better side and starved Lesotho of possession. But, Likuena never gave up and leveled matters on the cusp of half-time. Phafa Tšosane curling a left-footed free-kick into the back of the net with what was the last kick of the stanza.
Lesotho took the lead against the run of play through Basia Makepe seven minutes after the break. The Likuena skipper’s goal a mirror image of Katema’s strike in the first-half.
But Zambia flexed their muscles in a seven minute blitz to seal their place in the Plate final.
Spencer Sautu equalised for Zambia with a bullet of a shot from the edge of the area in the 56th minute, before Charles Zulu slipped the ball into the back of the net after bursting through the Lesotho defensive line three minutes after the hour mark.
The four-time Cosafa Castle Cup champions will face either Mozambique or hosts Namibia in Friday’s final.
Lesotho (1) 2 (Tsosane 45+2′ Makepe 54′)
Zambia (1) 3 (Katema 14′ Sautu 56′ Zulu 63′)
Lesotho: Mokhehle; Kamela, Makepe, Tseka, Malefane – Thaba-Ntso (Potloane 83′), Kalake, Mahula, Sonopo (Seakhoa 47′) – Tsosane, Seturumane (Motebang 75′)
Zambia: Kola; Museka, Chama, Mfune, Malama – Sautu, Katema, Ngulube, Zulu – Daka (Phiri 69′), Mbewe (Luchanga 90+2′)
