Brazil coach Elias – ‘Zambia women’s team challenged us’

Zambia women’s national team earned the respect of its Brazilian counterparts despite losing 6-1 to the Seleção on Tuesday.

Brazil coach Arthur Elias acknowledged the Copper Queens’ strength and speed during the FIFA Series match at the Arena Pantanal in Cuiabá.

“For sure the Zambian team challenged us quite a bit in the match,” he said during the post-match interview monitored on Confederação Brasileira de Futebol Facebook page.

“It is something that was important for us to play within our model against a team that has a lot of physical strengths and speed. This characteristic of the competition will make the team grow a lot.”

Elias on speed and strength of Zambia

Elias said he did his homework on Zambia to understand its tactical approach to the game, citing the traps which the opposition is fond of setting.

“When we studied them, we saw a five-man defence with variations with midfielders coming in and then creating an offside trap, which if you are not prepared, you can fall into,” the Brazilian added.

During the match, Yasmim, Tainá Maranhão, Angelina, Raíssa Bahia, Kerolin and Vitória Calhau scored for Brazil, with Barbra Banda providing the only consolation for the African opponents.

Questions on Copper Queens preparedness

Zambia went into the match with questions on their preparedness. Skippeer Banda called for proper preparations of such high-profile matches amid chaos resulting from the absence of coach Nora Hauptle over a contractual dispute. Charles Haalubono is standing in for the Swiss coach.

The Coppers Queens are in Brazil to prepare for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations finals scheduled for Morocco from 25 July to 16 August. Zambia started their tour of Brazil with a 4-0 loss to Canada on Saturday.