After ten years wey Egypt no dey see Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, dem don return with young and confident squad. But dem first match go be tough – dem go face Barba Banda wey be Zambia captain and her Copper Queens, strong title contender wey get plenty experience for international stage. Dis Group C clash between two sides wey dey different journey don be key match for group opener.
On one side na Zambia Copper Queens wey don dey compete for top of African football and world stage, like back to back Olympic Games and last FIFA Women’s World Cup three years ago. On the other side na Egypt wey don return after ten years absence. Though Zambians dey go as favourites, both managers agree on one thing – discipline and concentration go be important for opening match, where every detail go count.
Zambia dey bank on flexibility and composure. Their Swiss head coach, Nora Häuptle, show composure for pre-match press conference. With full squad and players for top form, she dey talk say quality of performance pass points wey dey on offer. She say, ‘We believe say when we put in good performance, result go follow automatically. For last few months, we don develop new tactical set-pieces to increase our flexibility. We know exactly how to approach dis fixture with plan A, B or C.’
Based on experience of their captain and poster girl Banda, Zambia intend to rely on dem plenty experience while dey careful about overconfidence. ‘Our attention dey 100% focused on dis opening match,’ Banda talk. ‘The staff don do dem preparation work. Now na our turn to take responsibility from kick-off.’
Egypt dey approach dis tie with rejuvenated squad. Aware say dem no get same experience as Zambians, coach Mohamed Kamal prefer to highlight potential and enthusiasm of im players: ‘Zambia get great international experience, with powerful strikers and group wey don dey play together for long time. But our team young, lively and full of technical qualities. The task go be difficult but no impossible.’
For goalkeeper Maha El-Demerdash, objective clear – to measure progress wey Egyptian women football don make since dem last appear for 2016 and to prove say dis set of players don reach respectable level. ‘We don work plenty for recent years. The atmosphere for team dey excellent. We dey united and we believe for our qualities. We want to show completely different image and go as far as possible,’ El-Demerdash point out.
Stat wey dey interesting: Egypt previous clashes against Southern African teams date back to 2016 edition, when dem register 1-0 victory over Zimbabwe and lose 0-5 to South Africa for dem second and third group matches.
Meanwhile, Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) don unveil redesigned special edition KoPa kit for Copper Queens for dis WAFCON wey dey happen for Morocco. FAZ General Secretary Charles Chakatazya tell FAZ Media say exclusive jersey na designed specifically for continental tournament. He talk say Copper Queens go debut new-look KoPa strip when dem take on Egypt tomorrow for dem opening Group C match. The fresh design na to inspire confidence as team begin dem quest for WAFCON success, while also boost sales of replica jerseys to strengthen KoPa brand and support FAZ. ‘The Copper Queens deserve a kit wey go reflect dem ambition and fighting spirit. We want dem to wear dis jersey with pride and confidence every time dem step onto pitch,’ Chakatazya talk. The special edition KoPa trip go dey available for Zambia traditional national colours of orange, green and white.
