The Copper Queens suffered their first loss at the Levy Mwanawansa Stadium in Ndola on Friday, falling 1-2 to Jorge Vilda’s Atlas Lionesses of Morocco in the first leg of the Olympic Women’s Football Tournament qualifiers.
The match saw the world’s most expensive female player, Bay FC’s Racheal Kundananji, controversially denied a goal and a penalty, while her team also missed a spot kick in the first quarter through Prisca Chilufya, whose strike was saved.
Morocco won a hard-fought match at the fully packed 49,800-seat stadium thanks to Zineb Redouani’s goal and a late winner by Tottenham Hotspur forward Rosella Ayane.
Lushoma Mweemba scored Zambia’s only goal in the game.
After the match, Vilda claimed that he studied the Copper Queens and knew exactly how to approach the game.
“We knew their players; we studied their players, and we knew some of them quite well, especially the three of them [Kundananji, Babra Banda, and Grace Chanda] who played in Spain. We knew how to approach the match,” he said after the match.
Vilda on hate in Spain and sexism allegations
In a separate interview with BolaNews, Vilda, who won the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup with Spain, stated that he is not looking to make history for himself, but for Morocco, who are aiming for their first-ever Olympic qualification.
“I’m not thinking about myself, but about Morocco’s history as a team. Being one of the 12 teams at the Olympics would be an incredible and historic experience,” he told BolaNews exclusively.
Vilda, who was fired by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) 10 days after FIFA suspended the federation’s president, Luis Rubiales, for kissing national team player Jenni Hermoso on the mouth during last year’s World Cup medal ceremony, said he is more concerned with helping Morocco win games than with what others think of him.
“I only talk about sports and I am focused on Morocco; that’s all I can say [about the negative comments against me].”
The Rubiales kissing scandal sparked an international debate on women’s rights and sexism. This has prompted some, particularly in Spain, to argue that all of his allies should be barred from participating in women’s football.
Vilda, a close ally of Rubiales, also faced criticism after 15 players staged a mutiny in 2022, demanding his resignation due to inadequate coaching methods and conditions.
Vilda will shift his focus to tomorrow’s second leg against Zambia in Rabat, which could see him qualify Morocco for the Olympics with a win or a 0-0 draw.
