Zambia’s women’s national team head coach, Nora Häuptle, has acknowledged that her team was thoroughly outclassed by the Super Falcons after suffering a heavy 5-0 defeat in the quarter-finals of the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Casablanca.
Zambia’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals were crushed on Friday night at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium, as nine-time champions Nigeria delivered a masterclass in dominance, pace, and precision.
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Speaking at the post-match press conference, a visibly disappointed Häuptle pulled no punches in her assessment of the performance.
“Very clear loss for us,” she said. “Congratulations to Nigeria for the well-deserved victory. I think today we need to accept that Nigeria was better than us. None of our players was at their best, and neither was I as a coach.”
The Swiss tactician also pointed to a clear physical gap between the two sides: “We have also seen that physically, we are not on the same level. We need to accept that and go back to work.”
Zambia had entered the tie full of confidence after an impressive group stage showing, but they were overwhelmed from the first whistle.
Nigeria stormed to a 3-0 lead before halftime with goals from Osinachi Ohale, Esther Okoronkwo, and Chinwendu Ihezuo. The onslaught continued in the second half as Tosin Demehin and Folashade Ijamilusi added to Zambia’s misery.
It was a sobering night for Häuptle and her Copper Queens, who struggled to match Nigeria’s intensity, organisation, and clinical finishing.
Meanwhile, the Super Falcons cruised into the semi-finals, where they will face the winner of Saturday’s clash between defending champions South Africa and Senegal.
