Zambia Ends Morocco’s Olympic Dreams in Women’s Football Qualifier

"We started the match badly. The Zambians were superior to us in the first half. But in the second half and extra time, we improved a lot and managed to create many goal-scoring opportunities. [...] We did not expect such a scenario. This is the law of football. We will not be present in Paris," said Jorge Vilda in the post-match press conference, noting that experience counted for a lot in the match. "Zambia has a long history in women’s football. It has world-class players in its ranks."

The Atlas Lionesses suffered from the absence of their captain Ghizlane Chebbak. "She couldn’t play due to accumulated cards. She could have helped us a lot. I’m proud of this player and everything she brings to the national team," explained the Spanish coach. Despite the defeat, he says he is still proud of his players: "I am proud of the players who fought hard. We were close to qualification. We must continue to work. It is a very difficult competition, as only twelve teams in the world qualify for it." Jorge Vilda is already thinking about the next competitions. "We have to keep working. Our next challenge is the next Africa Cup of Nations (CAN-2024) that we are eager to play at home. We will work daily to prepare this competition well," he continued.

Zambia coach Bruce Mwape revealed the strategy that allowed his players to overcome the Atlas Lionesses: "After our defeat in the first leg, we analyzed the playing style of the Moroccan team, which allowed us to close all the gaps and validate our ticket for the women’s Olympic tournament in Paris." After validating their ticket, the Zambian players join the United States, Germany and Australia in Group B of the women’s Olympic football tournament.