he Zambia women’s national team return to action at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games tonight as they face Germany in a critical final Group B encounter in Saint-Étienne.
Copper Queens captain Barbara Banda has predicted a highly competitive clash against the DFB-Frauenteam of Germany at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s match, the Copper Queens skipper says her side is focused on ending their Olympics journey on a positive note after losing their first two group matches against the USA and Australia.
“It will be one of the toughest games that we are going to play, but we are hoping for the best and I still believe as a team we are still focused, and everyone is working hard for tomorrow’s game,” Banda said.
“We have to get a point at least to end up strong in the group stage.”
Wednesday night’s clash will be a replay of last year’s meeting between the two sides in Fürth, where the Copper Queens shocked the Germans as they rallied to a 3-2 victory over the two-time world champions in a friendly match played prior to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Banda says the Copper Queens have put last year’s memorable victory over their opponents behind them and will need to come up with a different strategy to defeat the Rio 2016 gold medalists on Wednesday.
“Football has really improved, and each and every day we meet a team, it’s a different team, so I won’t say we’ll rely on what won us the game last time. I think there have been some changes, and they’ve (Germany) learned about us, so it will be a tough game, and we need to be focused and determined,” she said.
After a heartbreaking 6-5 defeat at the hands of the Matildas of Australia last Sunday, Banda says she has had to rise up to her mantle to psych up her teammates in readiness for the clash against Germany.
“It is my job. I can’t stop talking and encouraging my girls because I know it’s a team, and we need each other at the end of the day.
“My word to the team is that we should keep strong, work together as a team, learn together, and when we lose, we lose as a team, so it is very important that we encourage each other and work on our mistakes,” she added.
Despite tasting defeat on Sunday, Banda left the pitch at the Nice Stadium with another historic record as she became the first player in Olympic football history to score three hat-tricks at the Summer Games.
“I’ll say I’m proud of myself for that record, but all in all, it also goes back to the team because with the help of the team, I have been able to achieve this, so I appreciate my teammates,” she said.
At the bottom of the standings with no points, the Copper Queens will aim to secure a victory over Germany and hope that Australia suffers a defeat against the USA to stand a chance of qualifying for the knockout phase as one of the two best third-placed teams in the groups.
