Bruce Mwape with his star strikers Reacheal Kundananji (left) and Barbra Banda on the sideline during the Republic of Ireland WNT v Zambia WNT, International Friendly match in preparation for the FIFA Women’s World Cup at Tallaght Stadium on June 22nd, 2023, in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

"It will be difficult to beat the Black Queens" - Zambia coach says ahead of Olympic Games qualifiers

Graphic.com.gh Sports News Feb - 18 - 2024 , 16:30 2 minutes read

The head coach of Zambia's Copper Queens, Bruce Mwape, has said that facing Ghana's Black Queens in the third round of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers will be a difficult task.

While he is hoping to qualify Zambia for the Olympics twice in a row, the Copper Queens’ coach is also concerned about the threat that the Ghana senior women’s national team poses to his team.

The Copper Queens will travel to Ghana for the first leg of the qualifiers of Friday, February 23, before hosting the Ghanaians in Ndola five days later.

However, Mwape says he knows the Ghanaian team, stating that they are a good side.

“We have played them before, I think some four years ago. They are actually a good side. They gave us a tough time, although we managed to beat them,” he told reporters at the Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka on Friday morning.

The Copper Queens last faced Ghana in 2018, when they rallied from 2-0 down to defeat them 3-2 in a friendly match ahead of the 2018 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) at the Nkoloma Stadium.

Rachael Kundanaji, who is now the world’s most expensive footballer, scored a hat-trick in the second half pf that game to secure a comeback victory for the Copper Queens.

Mwape on strategy away to Ghana
The Zambian coach believes that many teams understand how the Copper Queens play, making it easier for opponents to prepare for his side.

“I know it won’t be an easy game because we have been playing in these big competitions and all the teams have seen how the team has performed,” said Mwape. So I am sure right now they are seriously preparing for us.”

**The Copper Queens during a training session in Ndola in December 2023 (Photo via FAZ Media)**

Mwape continued: “We will not go there and play an open game; it will be a conscious game being away because away games are usually very difficult, especially since their supporters will come in numbers just to make sure they support their team but that won’t discourage our players from getting a good result.

Having participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and finished third at the 2022 WAFCON, Mwape believes, “the experience we have gained of late will help us in that game away to Ghana.”

The winner of the two-legged matchup between Ghana and Zambia will face either Tunisia or Morocco in the final round of the qualifiers for a spot in Paris.