The Copper Queens captain scored four goals and took the match ball home as the clear standout performer at the Olympic Stadium.
Banda converted a penalty in the 61st minute, added a quick second two minutes later, and completed her haul with further strikes in the 88th minute and deep into stoppage time. Her clinical finishing powered Zambia to a dominant start in the tournament.
The performance underlined Banda’s status as one of Africa’s premier forwards and gave the Copper Queens a perfect opening result and a healthy goal difference in Group C.