Shepolopolo Make Olympic Debut

Shepolopolo made their Olympic debut on Wednesday after playing The Netherlands in their first Group F fixture in Rifu.

Although their coach Bruce Mwape was confident that the side were ready for their game, the match ended in a 10-3 thrashing by The Netherlands. This saw the Scandinavian side break the record for the highest scoring game in women’s Olympics football since the sport made its debut at the 1996 Atlanta games.

In spite of Shepolopolo struggling to match the number of goals the Netherlands were able to score, the side did score two goals in the final 10 minutes of the match.

One of the goals, scored by captain Barbra Banda, provided the team with great reason for celebration as it marked the country’s first ever women’s goal at an Olympic games. The 21-year-old went on to score the other two goals within the game, enabling her to become the first female African player to score three goals at a Games.

The games, which are being held in Tokyo, are the first time that the Zambian side has made it to an Olympics.