The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final match is heating up as Zambia’s Racheal Nachula confidently claims the Copper Queens are ready to take down Nigeria’s Super Falcons again.
Nachula, a veteran midfielder who plays in Israel, says Zambia’s win over the Super Falcons in 2022 is all the fuel they need to believe in another victory.
That last win came in the third-place match of the last WAFCON tournament, where Zambia defeated Nigeria with a narrow 1–0 win. Now, with the stakes even higher, she says they’re coming prepared.
“We are not scared of any team,” Nachula said during a radio interview. “We beat Nigeria before and we believe we can beat them again. All we need to do is follow our coach’s plan.”
The 39-year-old added that the entire Zambian team is full of belief and ready to face the nine-time champions head-on. “We are the Copper Queens. We can beat any team.”
Zambia will need all that confidence going into Friday’s knockout tie. Nigeria’s Super Falcons have been in strong form so far, finishing top of Group B with two wins and one draw. They’ve scored four goals in three games and haven’t allowed a single goal in return. Their defence has looked solid and their attack sharp.
But Zambia aren’t far behind. They finished second in their group with seven points, scoring six goals and letting in four. Star forwards Barbara Banda and Racheal Kundananji have each scored three goals and are seen as the team’s biggest threats going forward.
