BY Grace Zigah
The head coach of Zambia’s National Women’s Football Team, Nora Hauptle, has delivered a damning assessment of her team’s performance in a heavy 5-0 loss to Nigeria in the quarterfinals of the 2024 CAF Women’s AFCON in Morocco.
Hauptle, who coached Ghana’s National Women’s Team until falling out with officials over contract issues before taking over as Zambia boss earlier this year, admitted that neither she nor her players performed against Nigeria.
Accepting Defeat
“Very clear loss for us. Congratulations to Nigeria for the well-deserved victory. I think today we need to accept that Nigeria was better than us. Today none of us has been on top. Today none of our players has been top, neither me as coach,” Hauptle said in a post-game presser.
She also acknowledged that Nigeria’s physicality was a key factor in their victory, saying that Zambia’s players were not on the same level.
Nigeria’s Next Opponent
Record AFCON winners Nigeria will take on the winner of the South Africa-Senegal game that takes place over the weekend.
Nigeria’s victory over Zambia has set up a semifinal matchup that promises to be an exciting one, with the Super Falcons looking to continue their dominance in African women’s football.
Host Nation Morocco’s Progress
In a related development, host nation Morocco beat Mali 3-1 in the quarterfinals to setup a semifinal game against Ghana’s Black Queens.
Morocco’s victory has set up an intriguing matchup in the semifinals, with the Atlas Lionesses looking to make a deep run in the tournament.
