Following Saturday’s friendly game between Zambia’s Copper Queens and the Ferns of New Zealand, Michael Mayne has pointed out the major positives he picked.
In a match where both teams had plenty of opportunities, Zambian defender Rhoda Chileshe, scored the first goal after Esther Siamfuko’s well-executed free kick.
The Ferns got their equalizer through Katie Kitching from the penalty spot.
Speaking after the match, the head coach of New Zealand, Mayne, applauded Zambia’s attacking prowess.
“I think one of the big things is the way Zambia threatened our defensive line,” he told the New Zealand FA media. “That’s going to be something that all the teams we face at the Olympics are going to do to us… so I think we can take a lot from that.
Even though Racheal Kundananji and Barbra Banda only played the final 17 minutes, Mayne thinks the Copper Queens were a formidable squad.
“They’re a tough team around set plays and they caught us off guard early in the second half, which was disappointing, so we’ll have to look at that, but there’s plenty we can learn for that first game against Canada and the next ones against Colombia and France.”
| Group A | Group B | Group C |
| France | USWNT | Spain |
| Colombia | Germany | Japan |
| Canada | Australia | Brazil, |
| New Zealand | Zambia | Nigeria |
Zambia will open their 2024 Olympic campaign against the USWNT on July 25. They are in Group B alongside, Germany, Australia and the USWNT.
The Copper Queens will be making their second appearance at the Olympics, having debuted in 2021 during the 2020 Tokyo edition.
READ MORE: How New look Copper Queens drew with New Zealand in friendly
