Mwape happy with the draw…Reveals reaching the final as the target
Copper Queens coach Bruce Mwape says he is happy with the draw against the Lionesses of Cameroon.
Mwape told journalists during a post match press conference that the team was hoping to get maximum points but a draw was not bad.
Mwape went to reveal that the team is targeting reaching the final of the 2022 Morocco Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
“I am happy about the result, although we wanted to go away with maximum points, though a draw is not bad,” he said.
“As I said, other people thought we had a weak team, but I told them it won’t be easy for Cameroon to beat us because this was not the first time we were meeting.”
“We were facing a tough team. Going forward reaching the final is our aim,” he added.
Mwape confessed that the team missed star forward and captain Barbra Banda but he is confident the remaining players are equal to the task.
Striker Ochumba Oseke Lubanji and winger Siomala Mapepa missed the draw against Cameroon due to suspension and Mwape is confident they will bring extra quality to his side in the next game.
“The absence of Barbra Banda like I said yesterday football is a team sport and not an individual sport, we play as a team and whoever is present should actually play to our plan,” he said.
“We can say we missed her yes, but the players that are there are able to deliver. Next time I think she will be able to be back with the team.”
“We still have two players who were missing (Ochumba Oseke Lubanji and Siomala Mapepa ) am sure when they join us in the next game you will be able to see the difference because they will add value when we play the next game. They are two strikers who accumulated yellow cards in the qualifiers,” he added.
The Copper Queens played out to a goalless draw with Cameroon on Sunday and will next face Tunisia on Wednesday in their second game.
The WAFCON is being used as a qualifier to the 2023 New Zealand/Australia FIFA Women’s World Cup where the top four teams in Morocco will qualify for the event.