Former Leicester City Ladies of England defender, Ashleigh Plumptre has enthused that Friday’s huge victory against Zambia in the quarter-finals of this year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will help them send holders South Africa packing on Tuesday.
Sports247 gathered that Nigeria and South Africa will lock horns at 5pm on Tuesday in a potentially explosive WAFCON 2024 semi-final fixture, which Plumptre believes the Falcons are hugely motivated individually and collectively to win.
Read Also: Falcons Are Well Motivated Ahead Of S/F Versus South Africa, Says NFF Secretary Mohammed Sanusi
The Falcons’ left-wing-back, who is now based in Saudi Arabia, admitted that she was personally deeply excited after aiding the trouncing of Zambia on Friday, then praised two of her fellow defenders – Osinachi Ohale and Oluwatosin Demehin – for scoring during the game.
Plumptre stated, “I was really happy for Osi and Tosin. Maybe just because they are centre backs, and defenders usually don’t get that kind of credit.
“As centre backs, their jobs are basically to defend. The fact that they could go up there and get the goals was great. They are also good leaders, and they deserve those goals.”
She then acknowledged the high level of pressure on the team before their clash with Zambia, and concluded with a verdict that their ability to overcome the hurdle was a huge statement of intent from the nine-time African champions.
“I always enjoy any game I play with this team, to be honest. But, I think, because there was so much going into this one with Zambia, some people thought we would struggle.
“At a point, it was like we were underdogs, especially after our draw with Algeria. So, it was nice that we made a statement, and we can now move from there into our next game,” Plumptre rationalised.
The in-form left-back also confessed that she and other players in the team have been fatigued by their celebrations, which began with a dancing spree on the pitch right after Friday’s victory at Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca.
Although Plumptre also said she really loved the dancing aspect of their celebrations, she conceded that all the players have to quickly put aside the gaity in order to prepare for Tuesday’s grudge match.
Incidentally, the South Africans have a much different level of fatigue to overcome, as they were stretched to the limit by Senegal in a goaless end to regulation time on Saturday before eventually winning 4-1 on penalties.
