Copper Queens coach Nora Häuptle has turned her attention to Saturday’s Wafcon Group C match against Nigeria.
Following Zambia’s 6-0 win over Egypt on Tuesday, and Nigeria’s shocking 3-2 defeat to Malawi, the Swiss born coach has cautioned her players against being over confident.
“It feels so good and we are so excited as a team. We bury this one and now we are looking forward to the next game because we are taking each match as it comes,” Häuptle said after Tuesday’s win over Egypt.
Twelve months ago Nigeria cruised into the semi-finals of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with a statement 5-0 victory over Zambia in Casablanca.
The Copper Queens had been expected to pose a tough challenge for the record nine-time champions, but were blown away by a stunning performance which was underlined by clinical finishing.
Häuptle’s Copper Queens will need to show resilience against the wounded African Champions on Saturday.
“We demanded ‘akalata’ and also ‘umupampamina’ which is resilience and aggressiveness that we want until the last second.” Said Häuptle.
“We shifted our focus from social media and other distractions, and today the players showed that mentality by staying focused and scoring even in the final minutes.”
On Saturday, Racheal Kundananji, Prisca Chilufya and new kid on the block Eneless Phiri have to come to the party and help Barbra Banda, the captain and all-time leading goalscorer for the Copper Queens.
The win against Egypt represents Zambia’s biggest ever victory in a WAFCON tournament. The Copper Queens, who reached the quarter-finals at the 2024 edition and finished third at the 2022 one, deservedly take the lead in Group C.
With the huge margin, the Zambians also boost their goal difference massively, which could prove crucial in this rather tough group, which also includes the reigning champions, Nigeria.
