Battle lines drawn for Zambia v Banyana derby

South Africa and Zambia have “met many times” before and know each other very well, but never before have they met with the stakes as high as when they meet on Monday in the TotalEnergies WAFCON semifinal in Casablanca.

“It is a derby, and a derby is not only to be played, but to be won,” said Bruce Mwape, the Zambian coach, in his pre-match press conference.

Banyana Banyana and the Copper Queens both topped their groups impressively en route to the knockout rounds and then saw off tricky opposition to set up their big semifinal at 6pm on Monday at the Mohammed V Sports Complex.

“The most exciting part of the championship starts now. We are ready, we know what we have to do,” said Hazel Nali, the outstanding Zambian goalkeeper, confidently before the game.

The South African side too are very confident ahead of their clash against their neighbours.

“Tomorrow will be a very important match. We absolutely have to win, to achieve our second goal, of being in the final,” says Banyana coach Désirée Ellis.

Both teams have been very strong defensively since the start of the competition, an area of their game Nali says needs to again be solid if they’re to contain an attacking Banyana side.

In all their matches, South Africa have scored at least once and even without the talismanic Thembi Kgatlana due to injury, they remain a potent threat.

“We have worked a lot on being well placed defensively and to be attentive. because the danger could come from everywhere,” says Nali.

After playing all their games in the competition to date in the city of Rabat, the South Africans will play in the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca for the first time in the tournament.

“It's life in competition. Every time you take one step, you have to adapt to another environment. That is the way it is. Fortunately, we have a group of professionals who know this kind of thing and who adapt quickly,” said Ellis.

Zambia needed to go all the way to a penalty shootout to eventually down Senegal in the quarterfinals, but Nali is confident they will be well prepared for Banyana.

ZERO RESPECT

“We have recovered well, we did a lot of of cryotherapy sessions and we will be ready for the game,” says Nali.

These two teams have both played some wonderful attacking football in Morocco and they are evenly matched. While Banyana may be slight favourites, Zambia will show them little respect in a game that has captured the attention of especially Southern African football fans.

It is a confrontation that fans of both nations are eager to see.

“You can feel the excitement that is spreading througout the country. We receive thousands of messages. Thanks to social networks, our team remains connected to our people. The girls feel invested with a mission to bring the cup home,” says Mwape, who after leading his team to the Tokyo Olympics is eager to take the next step to challenge to become African champions.

The support of the fans back home is also a source of encouragement for the South Africans, with Ellis saying that “receiving messages from the fans gives us a balm to the heart. We will give everything tomorrow for them”.