Despite dominating possession, the Atlas Lionesses fell short of securing a win.
After the historic 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification, Morocco was aiming to reach the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
However, they faced a determined Zambian team who was eager to join Nigeria and the 10 other teams in the French capital this summer.
What Happened?
Zambia secured qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games by defeating Morocco in an exhilarating match on Tuesday at the Prince Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat.
The game concluded with a 2-0 victory for Zambia, giving them a 3-2 lead on aggregate.
The thrilling match commenced with both teams eager to seize an early lead.
However, the first 30 minutes remained deadlocked at 0-0 for the majority of the duration. It wasn’t until the 38th minute that Zambian forward Barbra Banda broke the deadlock, securing the first goal of the match for her team.
In the second half, the Moroccan team took control of possession, unleashing numerous shots towards the goal. However, despite their dominance on the field, they couldn’t capitalize on any of their opportunities.
As the game concluded in a stalemate, Zambia clinched victory during extra time, with team captain Banda converting a penalty to score the second goal.
This propelled the Copper Queens to a 2-0 triumph over Morocco, securing a 3-2 aggregate lead.
Morocco had initially seized an early advantage by winning 2-1 in the first leg of the qualifiers.
Tough Group At The Olympics
Now that they’re officially one of the 12 teams to take part in the summer’s soccer tournament, Zambia finds themselves in Group B alongside three powerhouse teams in women’s soccer: the USA, Australia, and Germany.
Their schedule will see them face the USWNT on July 25 in Nice, followed by a match against Australia on July 28, also in Nice, and concluding the group stage with a game against Germany on July 31 in Saint-Étienne.
Bruce Mwape has a wealth of players at his disposal who have previously competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
From Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji to Grace Chanda and Lushomo Mweemba, Coach Mwape has a variety of options at his disposal.
Banda and Kundananji have been the highlight of women’s soccer these past months as both players moved to the States to compete in the NWSL.
By joining Bay FC, the latter became the most expensive female soccer player in history.
Mwape had considered this double confrontation with Morocco to be complicated but insisted on his players’ ability to win and qualify for their second consecutive Olympics.
Qualified Teams – Paris 2024 Olympic
Before April’s international break, 10 teams managed to secure their spot at the soccer tournament of the upcoming Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
The last 2 spots were Africa’s. Joining Zambia in Paris is Nigeria’s Super Falcons.
Nigeria beat South Africa 1-0 on aggregate to reach the Summer Olympics.
Rasheedat Ajibade scored from the spot in the first leg of the qualifiers in Abuja on Friday.
A goal that was enough for the Super Falcons to pick one of Africa’s tickets for the women’s soccer event of the Paris Olympics as the second leg tie ended goalless in South Africa.
The last time Nigeria’s Super Falcons reached the Olympics was 16 years ago.
Key Takes
- Back-to-back qualification for the Olympics.
- Nigeria join Zambia as Africa’s 2 qualified teams.
- This is Nigeria’s first Olympic qualification since Beijing 2008.
- Barbra Banda scored Zambia’s 2 goals of the evening.
- Morocco miss out on a historic first-ever Olympic qualification.
Here’s the complete list of the 12 qualified teams:
- France (hosts)
- United States
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Canada (title holders)
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Japan
- Spain
- Germany
- Nigeria
- Zambia
