Zambia goalkeeper Hazel Natasha Nali has urged the Copper Queens to block out history and focus solely on the task at hand as they prepare for a must-win showdown against Malawi in their final Group C match at the 2026 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The Copper Queens face the Scorchers at the Al Madina Stadium in Rabat on Wednesday night (22:00 CAT) knowing only victory will keep alive their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals. Malawi, who have won their opening two matches, require only a draw to secure top spot in the group.
Speaking ahead of the decisive encounter, Nali stressed that Zambia’s attention is fixed on delivering when it matters most rather than dwelling on previous meetings or qualification permutations.
“The match that we’re going to play tomorrow is very important to us as a team because we know exactly what we want and we know exactly what’s on the table,” Nali said.
“Our main focus is to work extra hard because football is played on the pitch. What we want as a team is to fight and give our all for the country.”
Despite Zambia’s mixed record against Malawi, Nali insisted past results will have no bearing on Tuesday’s contest.
“When you’re playing football, you don’t play based on history,” she said.
“We’re not moved or shaken by the past matches we’ve played against Malawi. What is going to count is how we display ourselves tomorrow.”
The experienced shot-stopper called for unity within the squad, insisting Zambia’s success will depend on collective effort rather than individual battles.
“We’re focused. We’re not playing names and we’re not playing who might score against us. We want to play as a team because we’re in this together and we want to do this together.”
Questions have been raised over Zambia’s defensive vulnerability, particularly against pace, but Nali believes the team has been working hard to address that concern.
“The team we’re going to play has players with speed, just like we have in training with Barbra Banda, Rachael Kundananji and the others,” she explained.
“That is something we’re working on as a team. It may be considered one of our weaknesses, but trust me, we’re working on it and hopefully we’ll get it right in tomorrow’s game.”
With qualification scenarios dominating discussion ahead of the final round of group fixtures, Nali made it clear the Copper Queens are not allowing themselves to become distracted by mathematics.
“We don’t need to rely so much on calculations,” she added.
“We’re here to compete, and you can only compete if you’re willing to work hard. Our main focus is to play our game, work hard and come out victorious.”
Victory for Zambia would keep their hopes of a place in the knockout stages alive, while Malawi need only avoid defeat to finish top of Group C and continue their impressive campaign.
