Kundananji insists Zambia ready to face any team in WAFCON quarterfinals

Zambia women’s national team forward Racheal Kundananji says they are prepared for whichever opponent who comes next in the quarterfinals of the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

Zambia finished their group campaign with a slim 1-0 win against DR Congo to confirm the qualification to the knockout stage of the tournament.

The win saw Zambia finish second in Group A on seven points, level with Morocco but behind on goal difference, and they will now face the Group B winners in the quarterfinals on July 18 at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca.

“We wanted first place, but unfortunately, we didn’t score more goals. That said, we don’t care which position we are in now, our eyes are still on the same thing,” said Kundananji as quoted by FAZ Media.

Discussing the win against DR Congo, Kundananji, who scored the match-winning goal and was named Woman of the Match for the second time in the tournament, said: “In the locker room, we had to talk to one another. We had to communicate and say, ‘this is what we need to do’, that’s why if you saw in the next half, we had so much patience. We were moving the ball around because we knew we had the game in control.”

On her superb goal, she said: “I had to take a deep breath before the freekick and in my mind I was only thinking one thing. I told myself, ‘I’m taking it,’ and I did.”

The Bay FC striker has now scored three goals in three group matches, making her the first Zambian to score in three consecutive WAFCON games.