Barbara Banda made history when she scored the 1000th goal in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Zambia’s 3-1 win over Costa Rica on Monday.
The Shanghai Shengli forward scored the second goal of the game after Lushomo Mweemba gave the Cooper Queens the lead. Racheal Kundananji added the third goal in injury time to seal a historic maiden win for the southern African country in their debut World Cup outing.
Banda joins an exclusive list of players to have scored landmark goals at the Women’s World Cup which began in 1991 with China’s Ma Li netting the first goal in a 4-0 win over Norway. Banda was clearly over the moon with her history-making effort and is hungry for more.
“It feels exciting and amazing because the World Cup is a huge tournament. This will not be my last and I hope to have the chance to play at another World Cup,” the Zambia captain said after the match.
MORE RECORDS: Barbra Banda's goal is the 1,000th goal to be scored at the FIFA Women's World Cup. #FIFAWWC #FIFAWomensWorldCup2023 pic.twitter.com/2qv9xDBpJ0
— FAZ (@FAZFootball) July 31, 2023
Aside from Banda, another African has previously scored a landmark goal at the Women’s World Cup. This was Alberta Sackey who netted the 400th goal during the 2003 Women’s World Cup in a 2-1 win over Australia in Portland, United States. Sackey netted a brace in the game and it was her second that reached the milestone. The occasion also marked Ghana’s first World Cup win having previously earned only just a point in their maiden outing in 1999 also in the United States.
Others that have netted milestone goals at the Women’s World Cup include:
- Silva Neid: scored the 100th goal in Germany’s 1-0 win over Japan in 1995
- Julie Foudy: scored the 200th goal in the United States’ 3-0 win over Denmark in 1999
- Marianne Pettersen: scored the 300th goal in Norway’s 3-1 win over Sweden in 1999
- Ragnhild Gulbrandsen: scored the 500th goal in Norway’s 7-2 win over Ghana in 2007
- Jill Scott: scored the 600th goal in England’s 1-1 draw with France in 2011
- Melanie Leupolz: scored the 700th goal in Germany’s 4- 0 win over Thailand in 2015
- Sam Mewis: scored the 800th goal in the United States’ 13-0 win over Thailand in 2019
- Lucy Bronze: scored the 900th goal in England’s 3-0 win over Norway in 2019.
