2024 Olympic Qualifiers: Elimination difficult to accept - Black Queens coach Nora Hauptle

Published on: 29 February 2024

Black Queens head coach, Nora Hauptle says the team's elimination from the qualifiers of the 2024 Olympic Games is disappointing and difficult to accept.

After losing 1-0 in the first leg against the Copper Queens at the Accra Sports Stadium, the Queens recorded an impressive 3-3 against Zambia in Ndola on Wednesday in the return leg.

The result mean Ghana's hope of playing at the Olympics has shuttered due to a 4-3 aggregate scoreline.

The game seemed to be heading to extra time until the Copper Queens skipper Barbra Banda scored from a free kick goal in the 96th minute of the game to break Ghanaian hearts. This was after substitute Azumah Bugre had restored Ghana's lead in the 65th minute.

The Black Queens were hoping to advance to the last round of the qualifiers where they would have faced Morocco who beat Tunisia later in the day.

"We knew that we needed to score to get back into the game. Zambia had a good moment, a good transition and they got it at once and I think we started to play football...," said the Swiss trainer after the game.

"We had a good control of a lot of moments...In the last minute, my team was brave, my team was playing football and [they] were fight. I cannot blame them. In the end, sometimes it's hard.

"We would have loved to go overtime [but] all in all, disappointing for us but kudos to Zambia."

The elimination means Ghana's female team's quest for a first-ever Olympic Games appearance will wait for another period.

However, the teams will now focus on the upcoming Women's Africa Cup of Nations which is set for Morocco later this year.

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