The Copper Queens suffered a 1-0 defeat to defending champions Nigeria in their second Group C match at the 2026 TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on Saturday, leaving Zambia needing a positive result against Malawi to secure a place in the quarterfinals.
An early goal from Asisat Oshoala proved enough to hand the Super Falcons all three points despite Nigeria playing the entire second half with 10 players.
Oshoala Punishes Early Defensive Error
Nigeria made the perfect start, taking the lead in the eighth minute through veteran striker Asisat Oshoala.
The experienced forward capitalised on a defensive lapse after goalkeeper Hazel Nali hesitated to come off her line. Oshoala outpaced Lushomo Mweemba and Racheal Nachula before calmly finishing to give the defending champions an early advantage.
Red Card Fails to Spark Zambia
The complexion of the match changed in the 40th minute when Nigeria defender Oluwatosin Demehin was shown a straight red card for bringing down Barbra Banda.
With a numerical advantage for the entire second half, Zambia looked well-placed to fight back, but the Copper Queens struggled to break down Nigeria’s resilient defence.
Despite making attacking substitutions, Zambia failed to create enough clear-cut opportunities to find an equaliser.
Häuptle: “It Was in Our Hands”
Speaking after the match, Copper Queens head coach Nora Häuptle admitted her side failed to execute the game plan after Nigeria were reduced to 10 players.
“The objective was to be more dominant on the ball, to use our numerical advantage but the issue we had is that we started a bit back to chipantepante football,” Häuptle said.
She explained that Zambia abandoned their possession-based approach by repeatedly playing long balls instead of controlling the match.
“When you are one player more on the pitch, and you just hit every ball long from the centre-backs, it did not help to dominate the game. We should have taken much more possession. Basically, it did not really help to be a player more. We did not take over the control of possession.”
The Swiss tactician believes Zambia let a golden opportunity slip away.
“I would say it was in our hands, and we did not take the chance. It was all here that we could beat Nigeria tonight.”
All Eyes on Malawi
Despite the defeat, Zambia’s quarterfinal hopes remain alive.
The Copper Queens must now avoid defeat against Malawi in their final Group C fixture to secure qualification for the knockout stage, while Nigeria will take on Egypt, who have lost both of their opening matches.
Häuptle urged her players to quickly move on from the disappointment.
“Now it’s to focus on the next game. Stand up again, and we will go fully out against Malawi.”
Conclusion
The Copper Queens will feel they missed a major opportunity after failing to capitalise on playing against 10 women for more than half the match.
With qualification still in their own hands, Zambia’s focus now shifts to a decisive showdown against Malawi, where a positive result will secure a place in the WAFCON quarterfinals.
