Rasheedat Ajibade has revealed that bold pre-match statements from Zambia’s camp provided the fuel that fired up Nigeria’s Super Falcons in their emphatic 5-0 thrashing of the Copper Queens in Friday’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final clash.
Despite the presence of two of Africa’s most lethal attackers, Barbara Banda and Racheal Kundananji, Zambia were completely outclassed by a dominant Nigerian side.
Ajibade, who deservedly claimed the Player of the Match award, played a key role in the demolition job, setting up Esther Okoronkwo for Nigeria’s second goal and later assisting Folashade Ijamilusi to seal the fifth.
Other goals came from Osinachi Ohale, Chiwendu Ihezuo, and Tosin Demehin, capping a commanding performance by the reigning African champions.
Yet, in the build-up to the encounter, the Zambian camp appeared undaunted by the pedigree of the Super Falcons, expressing confidence in their readiness for the battle.
Star striker and reigning African Women’s Footballer of the Year, Banda, was particularly vocal in her pre-match remarks.
“We are not scared, but we respect them because we know the game is 90-plus, so we are going to speak on the pitch. We want to hunt it,” Banda said.
“Like the coach said, we are so hungry for the game. You will be there to witness. The game is so open for everybody, and it’s a good game to watch.
“On my side, and on behalf of the team, we had a very good recovery from the group stage. Coming into the quarterfinals, we had some days to rest and we had a good recovery which means we are good as a team. We are back with good morale and looking forward to tomorrow’s (Friday) game.”
Zambia’s head coach, Nora Hauptle, also echoed Banda’s confidence ahead of the encounter.
“Of course, we are here to hunt. We respect that Nigeria is a several-time winner of this tournament. I think they are the favourites in this game, but I can assure you that my team is very hungry; we are here to hunt.”
However, the Falcons used Zambia’s fighting words as fuel to unleash their best performance yet at the tournament.
“There was a lot of talk from the Zambia camp and we heard all of it,” Ajibade said during the post-match press conference. “It was big motivation for us in this game.”
Before their quarter-final meeting with Nigeria, the Copper Queens had impressed in the group stage, scoring six goals in three matches, three apiece from Banda and Kundananji.
But their attack fizzled against a resilient and clinical Falcons side, who not only shut down Zambia’s threats but delivered the heaviest defeat seen so far in the 2024 WAFCON.
