
Zambia vs Nigeria Wafcon quarter-finals match preview
Di Larbi Zaouli stadium, Casablanca go come alive again for dis epic tie wey pipo don describe as final bifor di final.
Nine time winners Nigeria get evritin to play for as dem dey hope to continue dia campaign for dia 10th title wey dem call 'Mission X'.
Zambia too no wan gree as dem wan fight to win dia first eva Women's title for di continent.
According to football pundits, di match go tie wrapper as current Women Africa Best Player, Barbra Banda go face off wit di record six -time African Women Footballer award winner, Asisat Oshoala.
For dis ogbonge match, who go get di semi-final ticket, which team go raise dia head high, who go get di bragging rights, which attacking force sharp pass and which team defence dey easy to break?
Afta 90 minutes, e go clear for evribodi eyes sake of say, di two teams no lose any match for group stage.
Dia attack and defence dey compact too and beta players full di midfield.
Nigeria and Zambia fans dey ready to watch entertaining football wit a touch of tension on Friday.
Team news
Some players go miss from di two teams sake of injury and some go return for dis match.
Zambia, Xiomara Mapepa go miss di match sake of fitness wahala due to a fitness wahala but dia midfielder Grace Chanda go comeback as she don serve her suspension finish.
Nigeria go also miss forward Chioma Okafor, who no go play due to hand injury wey she get during training, but Deborah Abiodun don return afta her one-match suspension.
Wetin di coaches tok
Nigeria top Group B wit seven points and dem start wit wit 3-0 win ova Tunisia
Ihezuo late winner against Botswana and di goalless draw wit Algeria
Di Super Falcons neva concede any goal for dis competition. E show say dia defence tight and dem get beta structure.
"Our preparations dey good. "We dey try as much as possible to make sure say di girls dey ready," Madugu tok. "Preparations dey okay."
"We dey try to improve our goal conversion. Dis tins dey take time; no be magic. But I trust di girls go make impact."
Zambia, play well too for Group A, dem finish second sake of goal difference wit Morocco.
The Copper Queens play 2-2 draw against di Atlas Lionesses, dem comeback to beat Senegal 3-2 na 1-0 win dem use qualify against DR Congo.
"My team dey ready for di next stage. We move down to Casablanca yesterday [Wednesday] and wey dey excited and prepared for di game."
"Our transition na one of di best for di world," Hauptle tok, "defenders struggle wen we challenge dem wit speed."
She add say dem believe in team unity and mentality: "We no dey look too much on di opponent but focus on our strengths. We believe in unity and love, na wetin drive us."
"We no go allow Nigeria to keep di initiative. On Friday, we go show dem wetin we fit do."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
9 hours ago
- BBC News
Nigeria Super Falcons shine for Wafcon as dem gbab three awards and $1m prize money
Nigeria Super Falcons shine for di 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations as dem achieve di mission X. Dem win di continental title for di tenth time plus di $1 million prize money (1.5 billion naira) On Saturday night, di Super Falcons of Nigeria beat di host kontri Morocco 3-2 for di final game for di Olympic Stadium for Rabat, Morocco. As di game finally end on Saturday night, di Nigerian team no just lift up di trophy for di tenth time but dem also win three out of four six awards. Nigeria as di winning nation go also walk away wit, $1 million prize money. Who win and wetin dem win? Rashidat Ajibade, Nigeria captain win di Best Player of di tournament. Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie also win di Best Goalkeeper Award for di tournament. Justine Madugu win Coach of di Tournament afta e guide di his team win di trophy wit di record of winning five match, scoring di highest number of goals and finishing wit only one draw during di tournament. Esther Okoronkwo win title of di Woman of di match for di final game against Morocco. Moroccan captain, Ghizlane Chebbak win di Golden Boot at di tournament, dis na di third time she go win di title. Di Banyana Banyana of South-Africa, win di Fair Play Award wit total of 510 points at di tournament. How much Nigeria team and odas go win? For dis just concluded CAF-WAFCON, di winning nation, Nigeria go walk away wit $1,000,000 as di prize money Second place - Morocco go walk away wit $500,000 Third place -Ghana go walk away wit $350,000 Fourth place - South-Africa team go walk away wit $300,000 Quarter-finalists go walk away wit $200,000 each Third in Group Stage go walk away wit $150,000 Fourth in Group go walk away wit $125,000 each Rasheedat Ajibade- Wafcon Best Player Award Rasheedat Ajibade na di best player of di Women Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) tournament afta Nigeria win against Morocco 3-2 on Saturday night. Di 25-year-old Atletico Madrid player contribute wit one goal and two assists during di tournament, but her overall performance during di matches na im make Nigeria win di game. Rasheedat don win dis title three consecutive time against Botswana, Zambia, and South Africa. In 2022, she bin win di highest goalscorer at WAFCON, showing her leadership qualities at di Morocco tournament. Chiamaka Nnadozie- Wafcon Best Goalkeeper Award Chiamaka Nnadozie na di official winner of Best Goalkeeper of di TotalEnergies CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations 2024. Di twenty-three year old, Nnadozie show her skills for di field wit her fast flexible ability to catch any ball wey come close to di goalpost. Afta series of outstanding performance during di tournament she win di finest goalkeepers in African women's football. Justin Madugu- Wafcon Coach of di Tournament Award Justin Madugu officially win di Coach of di Tournament at di 2024 CAF TotalEnergies Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). Di 61-year-old na local coach from Adamawa, e guide di female team wit im own experience to win di 2024 WAFCON game. Ghizlane Chebbak- Wafcon Golden Boot Award Ghizlane Chebbak for di third time win di Golden Boot title at di TotalEnergies CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) 2024. Di Moroccan captain, na di top scorer during di tournament. Chebbak continue to follow her papa foot steps, Larbi Chebbak, 1976 Africa Cup of Nations winner wit Morocco. Chebbak no dey waste time on di field, she show she dominance spirit during di game against Zambia, delivering good field performance. Also, within 13 minutes she pick di ball and score against Nigeria at di finals. Banyana Banyana of South-Africa- Wafcon Fair Play Award Banyana Banyana of South-Africa fail to retain dia continental title, but dem leave di competitio winning di Fair Play Award wit total of 510 points award base on di Technical Study Group criteria. Banyana Banyana start di tournament winning against Ghana 2-0, but di Ghanaian team come back to win against dem at di Semi-Final to win South Africans.


BBC News
10 hours ago
- BBC News
World Football Wafcon: Nigeria shock Morocco to complete Mission X
Available for over a year Maz Farookhi presents reaction from Rabat as Nigeria come back from 2-0 down to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations final. For Nigeria, it is a record extending 10th title, while Morocco have now lost the last two finals. The Atlas Lionesses led 2-0 at the break in Rabat through Ghizlane Chebbak's fine curling effort and a scuffed shot from Sanaa Mssoudy. But Esther Okoronkwo inspired the West Africans after the break, pulling a goal back from the penalty spot in the 64th minute after Nouhaila Benzina handled Folamide Ijamilusi's cross. Okoronko burst into the Morocco box and squared for Ijamilusi to equalise in the 71st minute, then teed up substitute Jennifer Echegini to score the winner with two minutes of the game remaining. Four time Wafcon winner Desire Oparanozie and BBC Sport Africa's Rob Stevens join Maz from the Olympic Stadium. Photo: Nigeria's players celebrate with the trophy on the podium after winning the 2025 Women's Africa Cup of Nations final football match against Morocco at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on July 26, 2025. (Credit: AFP via Getty Images)


BBC News
11 hours ago
- BBC News
Wafcon winner will stay in my heart forever
Jennifer Echegini says her Women's Africa Cup of Nations-winning goal for Nigeria will remain a highlight to look back on for the rest of her 24-year-old midfielder swept home Esther Okoronkwo's free-kick in the 88th minute to complete a stunning second half comeback as the Super Falcons beat hosts Morocco 3-2 on Saturday."I'm just going to carry this moment close to me," she told the BBC World Service."If I'm ever doubting myself as a player, I just think of this to encourage me and give me confidence."It's my first trophy I've ever won in my career, so definitely a memorable one that I'll keep in my heart forever."A record-extending 10th continental title for the West Africans had looked a distant dream at half time, as goals from Ghizlane Chebbak and Sanaa Mssoudy put Morocco 2-0 up at the Olympic Stadium in Okoronkwo pulled a goal back from the penalty spot midway through the half and then laid on two more goals in a compelling team display of mental strength."We're 2-0 down in the final, it's half-time, you absolutely have nothing to lose," Echegini said."It's either you play with fear and you lose the game or you put everything into the game and you hope you win - and we did so." President hails 'Nigerian spirit' Nigeria had dubbed their campaign as 'Mission X', and President Bola Tinubu sent his congratulations to the squad in a video call after the hailed the side's "spectacular" performance as one that exemplifies the "determination that defines the Nigerian spirit"."You have lifted our spirits. You are a pride to your generation," Tinubu told the team."You have achieved the mission the nation dreamed of and prayed for. Nigeria celebrates you."Okoronkwo, who ended the tournament with two goals and six assists, said Nigeria's approach had been "all or nothing" after the break."We knew we had to come up [with a] different strategy. We knew we needed to fight," the forward said."We talked over it in the locker room [and said] we have to change the way we are playing. It just shows resilience in us."Former Super Falcon Desire Oparanozie, herself a four-time Wafcon winner, said her compatriots showed "the mentality of a champion"."I did not expect them to come back in that manner," she told BBC Sport Africa."I think the motivation for them would have been: 'This cannot be the first time we'll lose in a final'."Nigeria have been in the final 10 times and they've won all 10 times. That mental toughness and fight is something else." 'Painful' loss for Atlas Lionesses Morocco, meanwhile, will have to go back to the drawing board after losing a second successive Wafcon final on home Atlas Lionesses had hired 2023 Women's World Cup-winning coach Jorge Vilda in a bid to land their first continental Sakina Ouzraoui hopes the side can bounce back ahead of the 2026 edition, which will also be hosted in the North African kingdom."We don't understand what happened, but Nigeria are a good team," she told the BBC World Service."They knew how to change the game and that's why they are the champions."It's painful because we touched this cup with our hands, but not strongly enough."For sure we will come back stronger. We are Morocco, so for sure we will win this cup."