Shepolopolo coach Bruce Mwape has declared his team ready for their Olympic debut on Wednesday against The Netherlands in their opening Group F fixture in Rifu.
The match will also be Shepolopolo’s first senior meeting against a European opponent in what is a tough Group F that also contains Brazil and China.
Wednesday is a massive test for Zambia who will be facing the Dutch who were 2017 European champions and 2019 FIFA Womens World Cup runners-up.
“They can have the experience but if we stick to our plan it can be a 50-50 game whether or not it is our first time here,” Mwape said.
“But all the same time, the game is played in 90 minutes and it depends on how you plan it.”
Strikers Barbara Banda and Rachel Kundananji are expected to lead Shepolopolo’s attack.
It will be Kundananji’s first match back in the fold since eliminating Cameroon on the final hurdle to the Olympics in March 2020.
Goalkeeper Hazel Nali also returns for the first time since the 2020 COSAFA Women’s Cup last November that saw her subsequently was dropped for the away friendly against Chile later that month on November 28 that Shepolopolo won 2-1 in Santiago.
I haVE SEEN on Supersport that the team will be playing China. How can one country play itself?
Well Shepolopolo lost 10-3 against Holland….. rather bad performance I’m afraid…..
10-3 ! The team looks disoriented, not fit at all. They are just watcnihg the dutch girls run riot while our girls look like bicycles trying to chase a BMW . Kwena eeh. Do they even know why they are at the Olympics? Nipose chabe ati twaile ku japan.
Brazil is next . it will be 20-0
Just tell them to get on the next plane and come back home .Its very embarrasing to watch .
NO GOAL KEEPER BA ZED QUEENS ! CHINSHINGWA FYE!
I think its time for us to encourage the girls. Though their performance was not good in the first half they showed a lot of improvement in the second half. Remember they were playing a team which reached the world cup finals last time. However the standard of refereeing leaves much to be desired. This is not an excuse for the lose and i believe the girls would have lost all the same but not with that margin. The Netherlands team were not being blown for off side and in my own view four of their goals were clear offsides. One wonders where VAR was and on many occasion no counter checking was done. The assistant referee on the left side never was flagging for off sides. In normal circumstances we should complain for poor officiating.
Hazel looked too beautiful for the game, that’s why she was too excited.
Next game Hotty Musole will do good.