Nora Häuptle, head coach of the Copper Queens of Zambia, has publicly acknowledged that her team was surpassed by the Nigerian Super Falcons.
On Friday evening, July 18, the Super Falcons defeated the Zambian women’s team 5-0 in the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) quarterfinal, according to reports.
After the defeat in Casablanca’s Larbi Zaouli Stadium, the Swiss tactician acknowledged that the two teams’ talent differences were significant.
“We clearly lost. Kudos to Nigeria for the merited triumph. We must acknowledge that Nigeria was superior than us today, Häuptle said.
Despite a great group-stage performance and a lot of pre-match excitement, the Zambian team entered the match with confidence but failed to score a single goal.
The Super Falcons, on the other side, were merciless, scoring three goals in the first half alone through Osinachi Ohale, Esther Okoronkwo, and Chiwendu Ihezuo. Tosin Demehin and Folashade Ijamilusi added two more goals after the half.
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Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu used the opportunity to consider his team’s development and the effort that had gone into the win, while Zambia’s coach admitted loss.
“As we previously stated, it’s a work in progress,” Madugu added. “We concentrated on our areas of weakness, which included finishing, final passes, and service delivery. We saw the outcomes today.
Before the quarterfinal match, the Super Falcons appeared to be far from dominant and only managed four goals in the group stage. However, the performance on Friday night seemed to be the result of a carefully thought-out enhancement.
Tonight, July 19, at 8 p.m., the Super Falcons will play the winner of the South Africa vs. Senegal match in the semi-finals.
