Black Queens head coach, Nora Hauptle expresses disappointment at team’s elimination from Olympic qualifiers
Black Queens head coach Nora Hauptle has described the team’s elimination from the qualifiers of the 2024 Olympic Games as disappointing and difficult to accept.
In the first leg against the Copper Queens at the Accra Sports Stadium, the Queens suffered a 1-0 defeat. However, they put up an impressive performance in the return leg in Ndola, recording a 3-3 draw against Zambia on Wednesday.
The 4-3 aggregate scoreline means that Ghana’s hope of playing at the Olympics has been shattered. The game appeared to be heading towards extra time until the Copper Queens skipper Barbra Banda scored from a free kick goal in the 96th minute, sealing Ghana’s fate. The goal came after substitute Azumah Bugre had restored Ghana’s lead in the 65th minute.
The Black Queens were aiming to progress to the final round of qualifiers where they would have faced Morocco, who defeated Tunisia later that day.
Speaking after the game, Hauptle commented, “We knew that we needed to score to get back into the game. Zambia had a good moment, a good transition and they got it at once and I think we started to play football… We had a good control of a lot of moments…In the last minute, my team was brave, my team was playing football and [they] were fight. I cannot blame them. In the end, sometimes it’s hard.”
She added, “We would have loved to go into overtime but all in all, disappointing for us but kudos to Zambia.”
With this elimination, Ghana’s female team will have to wait for another period before they can make their first-ever Olympic Games appearance. However, the focus will now shift to the upcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations scheduled to take place in Morocco later this year.
