Copper Queens in Must-Win Encounter Against Australia
The Copper Queens of Zambia are gearing up for a crucial match against the Matildas of Australia in their penultimate Group B fixture at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Following a 3-0 loss to the USA, the team held a recovery session at Parc des Sports Charles Ehrmann to prepare for their next challenge.
Zambia Women’s National Team coach Bruce Mwape remains optimistic about the Copper Queens’ chances of qualifying for the quarterfinals despite the defeat. The team played with ten players for an hour after Pauline Zulu received a red card in the first 30 minutes. Goals from Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman secured the win for the USA.
With Pauline Zulu suspended, coach Mwape is likely to pair Lushomo Mweemba and Esther Muchinga in defense. Mwape expressed confidence in the team’s ability to bounce back, noting their improved performance in the second half against the USA.
“Fans shouldn’t lose hope. We still have two more games to go, we can still qualify to the quarterfinals. It’s not the end of the world. It was a bad result, but the girls did well, especially in the second half. We made a lot of mistakes in the first half, and they capitalized on those mistakes, but in the second half, we picked up,” Mwape observed.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, along with the two best third-place teams. This marks Zambia’s second consecutive appearance in the Olympics, following their debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The match against Australia will kick off at 19:00 on Sunday, 28 July 2024, at the Nice Stadium. Meanwhile, the USA will face Germany in another Group B match at the Orange Velodrome in Marseille.
