Nora Hauptle has fired warning shots at nine-time champions Nigeria ahead of Friday’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) quarterfinal clash in Casablanca, saying her team is hungry for success.
Zambia and Nigeria will meet for the fourth time in recent WAFCON history. The Super Falcons claimed emphatic wins in 2014 and 2018, with 6-0 and 4-0 scorelines, respectively, before Zambia defeated them 1-0 in the third-place playoff of the 2022 edition.
“We are excited to enter the knockout stage. It feels like a final already, Zambia against Nigeria—I think for all of us, I hope it’s going to be an entertaining game,” Hauptle said.
Hauptle acknowledged Nigeria’s pedigree but emphasized that her team is eager to “hunt.”
“Of course, we are here to hunt. We respect that Nigeria is a several-time winner of this tournament. I think they are the favourites in this game, but I can assure you that my team is very hungry; we are here to hunt.”
She continued: “It’s a golden generation; we are a young squad. Even our top player, one of the top players in the world, Barbra Banda, is just 25 years old, so I think the improvement of this team in the next year will be massive. I see a bright future for my team and I am pretty sure on Friday, in the knockout game, we will show you on the pitch.”
When asked about the team’s defensive weakness—having conceded six goals in their last three games—Hauptle expressed confidence in the team’s progress.
“Our evolution from the group stage was very good defensively wise. We conceded set pieces, two penalties, and [two] goals out of open play. I think in the third game we kept a clean sheet. We are working on unity in defence—the compactness—because we know that with Nigeria, we don’t have to allow them. So we have to keep the initiative defense wise where we want to conquer the balls and win the balls. I am very proud of my team and how we’ve developed in this area.”
Zambia will be aiming to reach the semifinals for the second consecutive time, having finished third in 2022, while Nigeria will be seeking their 13th straight semifinal appearance.
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