Zambia striker Racheal Kundanaji has called on the team to take the game to Spain when the two sides face off in the second match of the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup at Eden Park on Wednesday.
The Coppers Queens kicked off their Group C campaign with a 5-0 defeat against Japan, and anything less than a win against Spain, who beat Costa Rica 3-0 in their opener, will spell doom their little hopes of making it past the group stage of the competition being co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia.
Ahead of the Spain clash, Kundananji has called for an improved fighting spirit as she expressed optimism the team can still pull through to the next round. “Football is not about how much you know about the team or the player. It is a matter of the approach of the game and the confidence that you have,” said Kundananji in an interview posted by FAZ media, adding: “We just have to go with full force [against Spain]. We need to show them that we are not afraid because we lost 5-0, we will not give up, and we are going there to do our level best.
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“We still have chances to qualify, still have a 100% chance to make it. We need to game up.”
On the team’s defeat to Japan, Kundananji said: “It is normal to be nervous but ours was too much. I don’t know maybe because it is our first time. I think we lacked confidence too. We also didn’t have tactical and positional discipline… We were just moving like we don’t know what we are doing because of being nervous.”
She added: “We are looking forward to the next game in order to do our level and play our game. Spain is a good team, we need to work hard to get points.”
On Monday, Zambia held a familiarisation tour of Eden Park Stadium in central Auckland ahead of their clash against Spain. The Copper Queens combed through the turf and had a feel of the dressing room, flash interview area, and the mixed zone among other operational areas that will be key during Wednesday’s 09h30CAT kick-off match at New Zealand’s National Stadium.
In the other Group C match, table-toppers Japan will entertain Costa Rica at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.