When it appeared that all hope had been gone when Zambia’s Copper Queens lost 1-2 at home to Morocco five days ago in the first leg of the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifiers at the Levy Mwanawansa stadium in Ndola, Bruce Mwape’s lasses remained resolute to reverse the tables.
On Wednesday morning, the Copper Queens defeated Morocco 0-2 in Rabat, advancing to their second consecutive Olympic women’s football tournament.
The Copper Queens made their intentions clear from the start, as the trio of Barbra Banda, Racheal Kundananji, and Prisca Chilufya went all in looking for an early goal.
Although Morocco appeared to be tactically sound, Banda broke the deadlock in the 38th minute by beating two defenders, including the goalkeeper, and slotting home in an open net courtesy of a well-timed pass by Chilufya.
Zambia led at halftime, and Morocco came out hungry after the break, but Musole was up to the task of keeping the Copper Queens ahead.
The Moroccans began to press, primarily on the counterattack, and came close to equalizing, with keeper Ngambo Musole making the best save of her career right on the goal line.
The extra time magic moment
With both teams wasting numerous opportunities, Rwandan referee Salima Mukansanga blew the final whistle of regular time, ending the match 2-2 on aggregate and sending it into extra time.
The first half of extra time produced no goals; however, in the second half, Banda beat her marker again and whipped in a cross in the box, which landed on the Moroccan defender’s arm, earning the Copper Queens a penalty in the 105th minute.
There was no way Banda, the record African Olympic scorer, could miss from the spot, and she converted with ease to send the Copper Queens to the Olympics.
| Group A | Group B | Group C |
| France | USWNT | Spain |
| Colombia | Germany | Japan |
| Canada | Australia | Brazil, |
| New Zealand | Zambia | Nigeria |
Zambia will be in Group B, alongside, Germany, Australia, and the USWNT.
Meanwhile, Nigeria is the other African country that confirmed its qualification for the Olympics for the first time in 16 years after beating South Africa 1-0 following a 0-0 draw on Tuesday.
The Olympic women’s football tournament will begin on Thursday, July 25, 2024.
