By Mubukwanu Kaingu
Ghana Black Queens coach Nora Hauptle has warned Zambia to be ready for them in next February’s CAF Zone 2024 Olympic Women’s Football Tournament, third round qualifier.
Ghana on Tuesdays booked a Paris Games penultimate stage qualifier date with the 2020 Tokyo Games finalist following a 2-0 second round, final leg, home win over Benin in Accra to advance to the next phase 5-0 on aggregate.
Zambia on the other hand advanced to the third round without kicking a ball following a walk-over win against Mali who withdrew from their second round qualifier in early October.
Hauptle said in a post-match interview at Accra Sports Stadium that Ghana is very determined to end their five-year absence from all-match women’s major senior football competition.
Ghana has not seen the light of a senior women’s competition since hosting the 2018 WAFCON, ironically the year Bruce Mwape was appointed Zambia coach.
“The last time we didn’t qualify, so this is one big point in our ‘Mission Volta’. Then in February, we face Zambia in the third round of the Olympic qualifiers,” Hauptle said.
“We need to make sure we are best prepared for Zambia, who were at the World Cup and are a top team, but I think we will be ready for them.”
‘Mission Volta’ is the Swiss-born coach’s campaign slogan in the Black Queens quest to end their lengthy absence from major international competitions.
But before facing Zambia, she first has to deal with a matter of 2024 WAFCON qualification this month against Namibia.
Hauptle is unbeaten in nine successive games without conceding a goal since her appointment in January.
However, none of those games include encounters against the 2022 AWFCON top five namely Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco, Zambia or Cameroon; four of whom were at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Meanwhile, this will be Zambia and Ghana’s first meeting since November 3, 2018, when they met in the Black Queens’ pre-2018 WAFCON friendly Africa tour in Lusaka.
Zambia came from two-down at halftime to beat Ghana 3-2 courtesy of a hat-trick from a then relatively unknown 18-year-old Rachael Kundanaji in what was Mwape’s eighth match in charge following his appointment earlier in May.
Ghana are pushing for their debut Olympic qualification while Zambia will be seeking an unprecedented second-ever appearance at the quadrennial global sporting showpiece.
