Nora Häuptle is happy that the Copper Queens are showing their values on the pitch.
Zambia battled to a 3-2 victory over Senegal on Wednesday.
Häuptle praised the team’s fighting spirit and character.
“We made a vow, we knew it was going to be a war, we were going to fight. We prepared the players mentally for that,” she said.
The 41 year old Swiss born was also impressed with Ireen Lungu and Mary Wilombe in midfield.
The duo have formed a base behind vice captain Grace Chanda.
“We knew we were getting a lot of long balls. I think we were very stable with our two holding midfielders,”
With Zambia holding on to the lead, captain Barbra Banda had to drop into midfield to help out her teammates as West Africans opted for route one football.
“It was a lot of kukakata, we say in Zambia. Kukakata is to have this spirit, this grip, to burn and to defend.
“I think Barbra sometimes even was on the centre back, on the holding, when we had a player out.
Zambia need to avoid defeat against DR Congo on Saturday to advance to the quarter finals.
“We showed and proved our values on the pitch. Love, unity and passion. Our identity was clearly shown, and in the end it was a very deserved victory from our team.”
“I think defending wise, we did not concede out of open play. It was just set pieces, so defensively, there were a lot of good elements on the pitch that we could build on. The rate of our chances is okay. Then we need to do better.
