Zambia win seventh Cosafa title as Bafana settle for bronze

Wisdom Moyela Libamba secured the sole goal as Zambia clinched a record-breaking seventh Cosafa Cup title with a 1-0 triumph over Lesotho in an exhilarating final held at a packed King Zwelithini Stadium in Durban on Sunday.

The decider was intense and hard-fought, with both teams having equal chances. However, the defending champions, Zambia, successfully defended their crown, surpassing Zimbabwe on the all-time winners' list.

Lesotho had aspirations of becoming the sixth nation to claim the highly sought-after Southern African title. However, similar to their previous and only final appearance in 2000, they had to settle for the silver medal.

Zambia - 7

Zimbabwe - 6

South Africa - 5

Angola - 3

Namibia - 1

In the second half, Lesotho believed they had taken the lead when Motebang Sera found the back of the net, a goal that would have brought him within one goal of Felix Badenhorst (nine) in the all-time top scorers' chart in the Cosafa Cup.

Unfortunately, it was disallowed due to a tight offside call, highlighting the slim margins between success and failure.

Consequently, it was Zambia's moment to rejoice as Libamba rose powerfully to head home a corner in the 78th minute, ultimately proving to be the pivotal moment of the game.

Meanwhile, Bafana Bafana defeated Malawi 5-3 in a penalty shootout to secure the bronze medal at the regional tournament.

Malawi dominated the first half, exerting significant pressure on South Africa's makeshift defense. Bafana stand-in coach Morena Ramoreboli started with two teenagers, Puso Dithejane as wing-back and Siyabonga Gumede as right centre-back.

Ramoreboli made multiple changes during half-time, substituting both teenagers and striker Victor Letsoalo, and introducing captain Lyle Lakay, Iqraam