Copper Queens looking to clip Super Falcons' wings
Kicking off the quarter-finals are record nine-time champions Nigeria and Zambia.
The Super Falcons enter the tie as clear favourites, thanks to their impressive form in 2025 boasting four wins and two draws from six matches.
Despite Nigeria's dominance in the tournament's history, the Copper Queens have reason to believe. They famously defeated the Super Falcons in their last WAFCON encounter in 2022.
Zambian football journalist Calvin Chikenge noted the growing interest in women's football, saying that more young girls are now taking the sport seriously as a career a major shift from the past, where this was rarely the case.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
4 hours ago
- The South African
FIVE Kaizer Chiefs' transfer targets that got away
Kaizer Chiefs have been linked to many quality players over the years, but they have often missed out on signing them. Amakhosi have struggled to finish in the top eight of the Betway Premiership for two consecutive seasons, despite bringing in nearly 20 players since 2023. Last season, the Glamour Boys signed ten new players, but only three of them stood out among the rest. Over the past three years, Kaizer Chiefs have been connected with some of the best players in the PSL and across Africa. Here, we highlight five notable players who were on Amakhosi's radar but were never signed for various reasons. Fiston Mayele Mayele is undoubtedly one of the top five best strikers in Africa today. The 30-year-old Congolese player helped Pyramids win the CAF Champions League for the first time. In 2023, Amakhosi were advised to pursue this talented striker, but they opted instead for Ranga Chivaviro. If the Chiefs management had listened, they could have secured one of Africa's deadliest strikers. Oswin Appollis The Bafana Bafana winger was heavily linked to Amakhosi but surprisingly joined rivals Orlando Pirates earlier this month. Kaizer Chiefs boss Kaizer Motaung Jr. admitted last year that the club held talks with Polokwane City's chairman, Johnny Mogaladi, regarding the winger. Khanyiso Mayo Mayo has been linked with Amakhosi since 2022 but missed out on a transfer last year after an offer from Algerian giants arrived just hours before Kaizer Chiefs could act. With only one striker signed for the season, some fans believe the club needs to invest heavily in a prolific forward. Elias Mokwana Mokwana has always been on Amakhosi's radar, but Esperance moved quickly to secure him after the speedy winger impressed at the Africa Cup of Nations last year. Fawaaz Basadien Basadien is currently regarded as the best left-back in the country. Kaizer Chiefs attempted to sign the 28-year-old defender, but their offer was considered too low by Stellenbosch. It seems Amakhosi gave up easily and instead chose to purchase Bradley Cross from Golden Arrows. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
TimesLIVE
9 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
‘We always knew Andile could save one or two': Ellis after Banyana's shoot-out win
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis said they always knew goalkeeper Andile Dlamini could 'save a penalty or two' if Saturday's Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) quarterfinal against Senegal came to a shoot-out and praised her team's resilience in prevailing. With both teams having had their chances — though South Africa shading those but unable to break down a tall, physical Senegal the game went to the dreaded shoot-out at Stade d'Honneur in Oujda. Dlamini pulled off two huge saves that saw Banyana win 4-1 and progress to their semifinal against Nigeria at Stade El Arbi Zaouli in Casablanca on Tuesday (6pm Moroccan and South African time). 'We've been practising penalties and we knew which kickers there were going to be [for Senegal] and that's why we made the changes we did,' Ellis said afterwards. 'We always knew Andile could save one or two — she's done it before. 'By the way, this is our first penalty shoot-out win at Wafcon — we lost in 2006 and in 2018 in the final. 'I said the game was going to be tough, but we prevailed in the shoot-out.' Ellis said Banyana were not overly concerned they lost number one penalty-taker Linda Motlhalo when she limped off injured, replaced by Bongeka Gamede in the 106th minute, just before the shoot-out. 'She couldn't continue but we were confident we had enough kickers on the pitch, but also confident Andile would make a save or two. 'We just needed to do on the pitch what we had practised in training. Because we have so many players who can take penalties. 'Linda would have been the first, Karabo [Dhlamini] them became the first to step up. She was also one of the walking wounded but the courage and resilience this team has shown, I cannot talk enough about that.' Banyana battled to break down the big, hard-working Senegalese, though had the better of the game in the second half and extra time without being able to produce enough chances, or bury those they did, to settle the game before the shoot-out. 'I think we had a few chances, I think we could have made better decisions in the final third,' Ellis said. 'We had two really great opportunities where if someone just rolled the ball across [goal] it could have been tapped in. But they had a really good chance at the end where we didn't pick up and our hearts were in our [throats]. 'We knew their gameplan and I thought we dealt well with their long ball. The minute we put the ball on the ground that's how the opportunity came for the penalty [for a foul on Magaia in extra time, turned down by the match officials and a VAR review], and I've had messages from home that it was a penalty. 'But we prevailed. Our last two phrases in our team meeting were, 'Outplay them and outlast them', and we outlasted them tonight.'
IOL News
10 hours ago
- IOL News
Ellis hails Banyana's grit after shootout triumph over Senegal
Andile Dlamini is mobbed by teammates after her two penalty saves sent Banyana Banyana into the WAFCON semi-finals. Photo: Backpagepix Image: Backpagepix Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis cut a calm but proud figure on Saturday night after guiding her team to the semi-finals of the CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) following a 4-1 penalty shootout win over Senegal. It was a tense evening at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda, where the defending champions were made to work hard for their place in the final four. After a goalless 120 minutes of football, South Africa held their nerve in the shootout — and Ellis was full of praise for how her side managed the pressure. 'I said the game was not going to be easy,' she reflected after the match. 'I said it was going to be a difficult game because of the group they were in and how they got out — and we didn't expect anything less.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Banyana struggled to find their rhythm early on, something the coach acknowledged. 'The first 15 minutes we showed a bit of nerves, trying to get into the game,' Ellis said. 'But once we settled, we nullified the threat — their two tall strikers.' Senegal's aerial presence and direct play posed problems, but Ellis was pleased with how her defence coped. 'We dealt very well with their long ball, but sometimes we gave the ball away too cheaply. Senegal have improved from the last time we played them — their coach has done a fantastic job.' The turning point came in the penalty shootout, where goalkeeper Andile Dlamini made two crucial saves. 🏆 𝕎𝔸𝔽ℂ𝕆ℕ 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜 🏆 ⚽️ 𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐓: Bambanani Mbane converts and send Banyana Banyana to the semi-finals! 🇿🇦 ✅✅✅✅ 🇸🇳 ✅ ❌❌ 🚨 LIVE 📺 SABC 3 📱 #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2024 — SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) July 19, 2025 'We have been practising penalties, and we knew who our kickers were going to be — that's why we made the changes we made. We always knew that Andile could save one or two — she's done it before,' said Ellis. It was a historic moment for Banyana — their first ever penalty shootout win in WAFCON history. 'This was our first penalty shootout victory at WAFCON — we lost in 2006 and again in the 2018 final,' Ellis recalled. 'I don't have enough words to describe this team — the resilience, the courage, the never-say-die attitude, the willingness to fight for each other. No matter what they threw at us, we were able to withstand it.' South Africa will now face old rivals Nigeria in the semi-finals on Tuesday in Casablanca — a fixture steeped in continental history. But Ellis isn't looking too far ahead just yet. 'We are not thinking about Nigeria right now — we'll think about the next match tomorrow. Let's celebrate what we have done,' she said. Banyana will now leave Oujda — a city they have called home for the past 16 days — and make their way to the Moroccan capital, where their title defence will face its sternest test yet. In the other semi-final, hosts Morocco will take on Ghana.
