Zambia head coach, Bruce Mwape, has stated his team will hope to end the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on a high as they seek to win the bronze medal when they face Nigeria in the third-place game at the Complex Mohamed V in Casablanca on Friday (today).
Mwape said this during a press conference on Thursday ahead of the encounter.
The Shepolopolo were hard done by Ethiopian referee Lidya Abebe, who awarded a late penalty against them during their semi-final game against South Africa that saw the Banyana Banyana advance to the final of the competition.
The Copper Queens have been impressive so far in the competition without their talisman Barbra Banda.
They drew 0-0 with Cameroon in their opening match, before 1-0 and 4-1 wins over Tunisia and Togo respectively to book a place in the quarter-finals, where they edged Senegal 4-2 after a penalty shootout.
Mwape will bank on team captain Grace Chanda, in the absence of Banda, to inspire the Copper Queens against the Super Falcons.
Chanda has been the rallying point of the southern African nation since the beginning of the tournament, after CAF expelled Banda for “medical reasons.”
Speaking ahead of today’s clash, Mwape said his lads had put their semi-final disappointment against South Africa behind them and aim to win the third-place game against Nigeria.
“We gave our all and created chances but we failed to take them and that was a mistake that we paid dearly for in the end. We have put that behind us and now, we want to win the bronze medals for our people,” Mwape said.
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