Barbara Banda broke Ghana’s heart in Ndola as with only a few seconds to send the game to extra time, the Zambian forward struck to eliminate Ghana.
After the game, Nora Hauptle, the Black Queens head coach, refused to blame any of her players as they fought with all they had.
“I think in the last minutes, my team was brave, my team was playing football, my team was fighting, and I can’t blame them.
“Today we offered them a little bit of a better start but I think we worked our way back into the game and it was all open. I mean this game to be honest we had 2 to three chances in the last 15 minutes. Shots were blocked,” revealed Nora.
The Swiss coach bemoaned Ghana’s loss of concentration in the early part of the game which resulted in Zambia scoring very early in the 10th minute through Barbra Banda.
“I cannot blame my team for having done anything wrong here. It is football so I don’t blame my team, I don’t think a lot of things went wrong. We just need to learn and get used to more of these high-pressure games,” continued Nora Hauptle.
The experience in the Black Queens is clear as the team is very young. The 40-year-old coach urged her women to learn to get used to the pressures that come when playing high-profile games.
“We have a very young squad, a very hungry squad and we have fantastic talent in the team. As the head coach, I am very proud and I am in love with my team because they develop, they grow,” said Hauptle.
The head coach was extremely excited with the team at her disposal as she spoke of the immense talent the team has. She also revealed her pride in the team and the love she has developed in coaching Black Queens.
Nora Hauptle declared how she is ready to terrify Zambia in the WAFCON 2024 if she comes across them.
Ghana played 3-3 in Ndola making the aggregate score 4-3 in favour of the Copper Queens of Ghana. Zambia will play against Morocco in the Fourth Round of the Paris 2024 Qualifiers.
