Zambia stamped their authority early in the encounter, dominating possession and creating several dangerous chances against the Congolese side. Their persistence paid off in the 23rd minute when Grace Phiri opened the scoring to hand the Copper Princesses a deserved lead.
The hosts continued to pile pressure on DR Congo and doubled their advantage moments before halftime through Natasha Kasema, who finished calmly to send Zambia into the break with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Kasema returned for the second half in sensational fashion, completing her hat-trick with two more goals as Zambia tightened their grip on the contest and left the visitors struggling to respond.
With the game deep into stoppage time, Blessings Mutale added further misery for DR Congo by converting a penalty to seal an emphatic 5-0 victory for the Copper Princesses.
The dominant result puts Zambia in a commanding position ahead of the second leg as the Copper Princesses move one step closer to securing a place at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) Media Team later shared fulltime snaps celebrating the team’s impressive performance and massive victory in the qualifier.