Zambia boosted their chances of qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics with a crucial 1-0 victory over Ghana in Accra on Friday, February 23rd.
Despite the heartbreaking loss of their teammate, Norin Betani, earlier in the week, the Copper Queens displayed remarkable resilience and solidarity to secure the win in a challenging environment.
Facing a spirited Ghanaian side and playing amidst a passionate home crowd, Zambia managed to clinch a narrow victory, setting the stage for the return leg where they will aim to seal their qualification against the Black Queens.
Reflecting on the match, coach Bruce Mwape acknowledged the tough contest and praised his team’s ability to withstand pressure from their opponents.
“I think the game was tough in a sense that both teams were fighting for one thing, qualifying to the Olympics. Although in the first half, we created a number of good goal scoring chances, we only managed to get one goal. Our aim was to finish the game in the first half. Ghana gave us a tough time, but we managed to contain them until the final whistle” said a satisfied Mwape.
The decisive game will be played on Wednesday in Ndola, with the winner progressing to the final qualifying round.