Zambia women’s national team head coach, Nora Hauptle has declared her team is ready ahead of the quarter-final match against nine-time champions Nigeria at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
Following a strong group-stage campaign, Zambia finished top of Group B and will now face Group C runners-up Nigeria, who stumbled in their final group match against Algeria.
“We are in a comfortable position”- Zambia Coach
Speaking ahead of the encounter, Coach Hauptle said she’s aware of the quality of the opposition but believes her side is in a strong and comfortable position with adequate time for recovery, tactical planning, and mental readiness.
“We are facing first in group B. I think we are in a comfortable position that we have now for a couple of rest days.”
”We have time to observe our next opponent, we have time to recover and it’s good for them to get a good rest.”
Zambia’s Tactical Identity Won’t Change
Hauptle further stated that Zambia’s footballing identity and core principles will remain the same regardless of the opponent, even as they adjust their tactics to exploit the weaknesses of their next opponent, the Super Falcons of Nigeria.
“And finally they took first in group B. Our basic principles and the game approach we never change.”
“There we just keep on working on this KPIs, on these performance indicators.”
”Then we always put a game plan on the pitch and this is then adapted towards the opponent we face.”
“We evaluate strengths, weaknesses, our strengths and look how we can hurt them the best.”
Fresh and Fierce – Zambia Ready to Compete
Looking ahead to the quarter-final against the Super Falcons, Coach Hauptle, with silverware in sight, she made it clear that the goal is not just to participate, but to go all the way with freshness, hunger and mental readiness.
“I fully think towards the quarterfinal we are able to retake this freshness, this horniness to score we say, this readiness in all the game phases.”
“When you want to reach to the final and win this cup then you need to beat sooner or later everybody. So I’m looking forward to the quarterfinals.”
A Clash of Semifinal Ambition: Nigeria vs Zambia
The Super Falcons of Nigeria, who are the defending champions and most successful team in WAFCON history, will face a resurgent Zambia side that boasts one of the most structured and cohesive tactical setups in the tournament.
While the Super Falcons remain favourites on paper, Nora Hauptle’s Copper Queens have shown time and again that they are no pushovers, and with their coach’s clarity of purpose and tactical conviction, they head into Thursday’s encounter full of belief.
