“We’re Ready,” Says Plumptre As Falcons Face Zambia

Ashleigh Plumptre, the cover star of Nigeria’s defensive unit, radiated confidence this week as the Super Falcons prepare to face Zambia in the WAFCON quarter-finals.

Despite Nigeria’s modest goal tally in the group stage, Plumptre stressed that the side’s underlying performance offers optimism.

“We’re creating chances and not conceding goals,” she said, acknowledging the lack of goals but pointing to a formidable defensive structure. Nigeria closed out the group stage with a perfect record and six points thanks to back-to-back clean sheets—victories over Tunisia and Botswana too—highlighting a tight, disciplined backline .

Offensively, Plumptre admitted the team “has not been scoring a lot as expected,” but she emphasized that efforts are pointing in the right direction.

“We’re preparing hard ahead of the quarter-finals match on how to stop Zambia as a team, and not only focusing on their star players.” This dovetails with Nigeria’s tactical shift under coach Madugu, who’s keen to focus on collective defensive work rather than reactive play.

Zambia will not be underestimated—Plumptre and her teammates have been training specifically to neutralize their opponents’ all-around threats.

With lessons already learned from previous WAFCON matchups with Zambia, Plumptre insisted the Falcons are mentally prepared. Nigeria’s resilience up the spine of the defense promises a strategic battle in what is expected to be a tight contest.

Sports247.ng