Zambia head coach Nora Häuptle said her Copper Queens side fell back into old patterns in their 1-0 defeat to Nigeria at WAFCON 2026, www.aclsports.com reports.
Assessing her side’s performance, Häuptle felt Zambia recovered from a nervous start to create enough opportunities to trouble the defending champions.
“I think we started the first half with a lot of energy, but also a little nervousness, which is normal when two top teams play each other and the pressure is high,” Häuptle said.
“However, we settled down quite quickly, took control of possession and created several good breakthroughs. Barbara, for example, was fouled four or five times near the last line of defence. We also provoked the red card through our attacking play and good breakthroughs.”
Despite creating opportunities, Häuptle admitted Zambia failed to make their numerical advantage count after Nigeria were reduced to ten players.
“After the red card, we started to have more breakthroughs, but that alone was not enough to dominate the game. We should have taken much more control of possession. Basically, having an extra player didn’t help us because we didn’t use that advantage to take control of the game.”
“Instead, we fell back into old patterns. In Zambia we call it ‘Jipantepante’ football – just hitting the ball forward and hoping for the best. That approach suited Nigeria. They were comfortable defending long balls because they would win the first ball, and often the second ball as well.”
The Swiss coach explained her tactical adjustments and where she felt Zambia fell short in their execution.
“At half-time we switched to a 4-4-2, which I believe was the right tactical decision. The problem was that our centre-backs kept playing long balls. We should have built our attacks much more patiently. We brought on players who like to operate in the half-spaces, but we didn’t build through them.”
The Zambia coach said Nigeria’s changes to their starting line-up did not come as a surprise, highlighting the depth available to the reigning champions.
“We expected that line-up. There was no surprise at all. The reality is that Nigeria has 25 or 26 players who play at a very high level around the world and get regular playing time. That’s a major strength of theirs.”
Despite the setback, Häuptle remains confident Zambia can still progress from Group C if they produce the required result against Malawi.
“The positive thing is our goal difference. We scored six goals against Egypt, so our goal balance is still very good,” she said.
“Because of that, we know that if we beat Malawi, there is a very high chance that we will qualify for the next round.”
The Copper Queens must now put the defeat behind them and focus on Malawi, where they will look to secure the result needed to advance to the WAFCON 2026 quarter-finals.
