Zambia women’s national team striker Racheal Kundananji has lamented the Copper Queens’ 6-5 defeat to Australia in a thrilling Group B encounter played last night at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Copper Queens gave up the lead five times to allow the Matildas of Australia back into the match and scored the winner through Michelle Heyman at the death.
Barbara Banda scored a historic third hat-trick at the Olympics, while Kundananji also added a brace in an inspired attacking performance by the American-based duo.
Speaking in an interview after the match, Kundananji said her side had executed their game plan well only to be let down by lapses in defense.
“I’d say it hurts more than a heartbreak because we saw three points coming to team Zambia and then it just went away like that without even getting a point. It is so painful,” Kundananji lamented.
“I feel we went well in the game starting from the first half. We did what we were told to do when pressing and when we had a chance in attack.
She continued: “We just lost concentration, that is why we conceded a lot of goals because we were winning the game but we just gave it away.”
Kundananji added that the Copper Queens did not play as a unit, especially in defense, and needed to solidify their backline going forward.
“We need to work on a lot of things defensively. We need to work together and make up for those mistakes which we made because I can’t blame it on the defenders but the entire team. If we defended as a team it could have helped,” she said.
The Bay FC star further urged the fans to continue supporting the Copper Queens as they search for favorable results.
“They shouldn’t just give up on us so easily, this is the time we need the support they have been giving us when we win. We never wanted to lose; we want to win and they saw how we’ve been fighting in the two games because we want to win, that is why they should support us,” she said.
Zambia will now hope to beat Germany in their final Group B encounter on Wednesday, hoping to finish among the best third-placed teams in the groups to clinch a place in the quarter-finals.
