Australia produced a dramatic comeback to defeat Zambia 6-5 in an 11-goal thriller on July 28 at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille. Both teams entered the match needing a win after losing their opening games to Germany and the United States.
South Sudan’s Barbra Banda, who scored a hat-trick, opened the scoring in the first minute, but Australia quickly responded with an Alanna Kennedy header. The game saw back-and-forth action, with Zambia taking the lead again through Rachel Kundananji and extending it with another goal from Banda.
Australia fought back with goals from Hayley Raso and a fortunate third from Banda, making it 4-2 at halftime. The second half began with Zambia extending their lead to 5-2 through Kundananji. However, Australia, making tactical changes, began their comeback with goals from Michelle Heyman, a free-kick from Steph Catley, and a penalty from Catley to level the score at 5-5.
In the final moments, Kyra Cooney-Cross won the ball from Banda and set up Heyman, who scored the winner, completing a sensational 6-5 victory for Australia.
Olympic Basketball Results for Sunday, 28 July:
- South Sudan 90, Puerto Rico 79
- United States 110, Serbia 84
Upcoming Men’s Olympic Basketball Schedule: No games are scheduled for Monday, 29 July. Play resumes on Tuesday, 30 July, with four games:
- Spain vs. Greece at 5:00 a.m. EST
- Canada vs. Australia at 7:30 a.m. EST
- Japan vs. France at 11:15 a.m. EST
- Brazil vs. Germany at 3:00 a.m. EST