24.06.2023 | FAZ |
Zambia Women’s National Team coach Bruce Mwape says the Copper Queens have kept their heads high and shifted their focus to the pre-World Cup game against Switzerland due in six days.
After going down 3-2 to Republic of Ireland at Tallaght stadium in Dublin on Thursday 22 June, the Copper Queens travelled back to Germany on Friday where they resumed training with a recovery session this morning.
Mwape’s post-match health card was almost clean except for the absence of captain Barbra Banda who sat out Saturday morning’s session at SpVgg Greuther Fürth sports complex. The China-bases striker is expected to join the rest of the team in training later today.
“Our program was to start with recovery which we have already covered and on injuries, we have minor injuries. At the moment it’s only Barbra who didn’t train but the rest went to the recovery session,” Mwape said.
“We have a challenge on set pieces especially when it comes to aerial balls. We will try to work on that and the other thing (we need to work on) is on finishing. We created more chances than our opponents (Ireland) and if we scored, we would have easily beat Ireland.”
Mwape also gave an update on the Kazakhstan based quartet of goalkeeper Catherine Musonda (Tomiris-Turan), defender Martha Tembo and midfielders Ireen Lungu and Hellen Chanda who missed the trip to Dublin due to club commitments at BIIK Kazygurt Shymkent. Their final game will be this (Saturday) afternoon.
“We have 35 players in the provisional squad), there are four players from Kazakhstan who are missing. Hellen Chanda, Ireen Lungu, the goalkeeper Catherine (Musonda) and defender Martha Tembo. As soon as they come, we will be able work at announcing the final squad,” Mwape said.
“The message to the players is for them to stay focused and make sure they continue with the same rhythm they showed against Ireland, and I am sure that was a good game. If we continue and improve on that one, I think we start a better chance of getting to the finals.”
The Copper Queens will play a friendly against Switzerland in the bilingual town of Bienne on Friday 30 June before facing Germany in their final 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup warmup on 7 July in Fürth.
Source: Football Association of Zambia
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