Zambia’s Copper Princesses suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to Venezuela after conceding a stoppage-time winner in their second Group D match at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026 on Wednesday evening.

Andrea Suarez struck with virtually the last kick of the game to seal a dramatic victory for Venezuela, who had been reduced to 10 players late in the contest.

Zambia twice took the lead through Precious Mwewa and Grace Phiri, but Venezuela responded on both occasions before delivering the decisive blow deep into stoppage time.

The Copper Princesses made a bright start, opening the scoring in the fourth minute through Mwewa after an excellent attacking move.

Taonga Mubanga split the Venezuelan defence with a precise pass out wide to Phiri, who delivered a cross into the path of the advancing Mwewa for a simple finish.

Venezuela responded in the 13th minute when Ariana Ojeda capitalised on a long ball, rounding goalkeeper Bukata Kakumbi, who had advanced off her line, before calmly slotting into an unguarded net.

The South Americans carried their momentum into the second half, but Zambia regained the advantage in the 54th minute through Phiri, who unleashed a powerful right-footed strike to put her side 2-1 ahead.

However, Venezuela once again found a response. Orliany Duran equalised in the 63rd minute after blocking an attempted clearance before firing home to restore parity.

The contest produced a dramatic finish in stoppage time when Venezuelan goalkeeper Valeria Rebanales was sent off, forcing defender Abril Alejo to take over goalkeeping duties.

Despite being a player down, Venezuela found a late winner through Suarez in the 90th minute plus 10, leaving Zambia with little time to respond.

Suarez was subsequently named Player of the Match for her decisive contribution.

The defeat leaves Zambia needing a strong performance in their final Group D fixture against France on Saturday as they seek to keep their campaign alive at the tournament in Morocco.

For the Copper Princesses, the challenge will be to recover from the late setback and turn their attacking promise into a result in their final group encounter.