The Copper Queens opened their 2024 Paris Olympics campaign in Group B with a disappointing 3-0 loss to the USA on Thursday night after Emma Hayes’ side controlled the game from the start.

The USA took the lead after just 17 minutes of play thanks to a deft move and finish from Trinity Rodman. Mallory Swanson then scored twice in as many minutes to complete the first half and give the Americans a decisive lead.

With 3-0 goals down, the Copper Queens’ chances for a comeback lessened further when defender Pauline Zulu was sent off for a last-minute foul late in the first half.

Reacting after the match, coach Bruce Mwape admitted that his team “messed up” in the first half but was impressed with how they reacted in the second half, where they kept a clean sheet. 

“It was a bad result, but the girls did well, especially in the second half. We messed up in the first half. That’s where we made a lot of mistakes and they capitalized on those mistakes. But the second half, we picked up despite playing with one player down, but otherwise, I was impressed the way we played the second half,” Mwape said.

‘Don’t lose hope’- Mwape urges fans

Mwape added that he will restrategize with his team ahead of their second group stage match against Australia on Sunday.

“I think we need just to strategize once again. Because we need to start creating chances. The way we played today’s game, I think we created very few scoring opportunities. So in that game (against Australia on Sunday), we’ll need to actually open up and look for goals. I’m sure we’ll be able to carry the day.”

The coach, who is reportedly prohibited from having private contact with the players during the tournament because of the ongoing investigation into his alleged case of sexual misconduct, encouraged fans to be optimistic because the team still has a chance to advance from the group stage.

“The morale is still high. When we conceded three goals in the first half, we thought maybe it was going to be worse in the second half, but when we changed the tactics, things happened and we’ll stick to the same tactics so that at least we get a win in our second game.

“They [fans] shouldn’t actually lose hope. We still have two more games to go. We can still qualify to the quarter finals. It’s not the end of the world.”