Nigeria’s Super Falcons lost 1-0 to the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon in their pre-2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations friendly at the Military Stadium, Yaoundé on Saturday, reports Completesports.com.
The Super Falcons began the match brightly, putting the Cameroonian defence under sustained pressure, but they were unable to make their dominance count with a goal.
Cameroon gradually settled into the contest and carved out their own chances.
Read Also:Nnadozie: Super Falcons Not Under Pressure To Defend WAFCON Title
Nigeria made a number of changes after the break, but were still unable to find the breakthrough.
The Indomitable Lionesses also make occasional forays upfront.
Cameroon scored the winning goal through Mbomezomo Yvana in stoppage time.
The two teams will clash in the second friendly also at the Military Stadium next week Tuesday.
By Adeboye Amosu
4 Comments
This writter do you know the meaning of “floor” atall???
Although the match was played with a competitive mindset, Nigeria and Cameroon ladies never take any of their encounters as child’s play, nonetheless, the Super Falcons were well caged in and Cameroon’s 18 yard box.
Clearcut chances for Nigeria were few and painfully far between. Okay, we found success down the left and right flanks with Monday, Babajide and Ajibade running rings around Cameroon fullbacks many times before delivering deft deliveries in the way of low and high crosses. But these crosses proved to be a “hiding to nothing” as they fail to generate credible scoring chances.
At the back, Nigeria were vulnerable. Isah in centre back and Ogbonna in left back were exposed too many times, ultimately leading to the only goal scored resulting from lapses in left back and centre back who failed to coordinate effectively.
It was now the familiar 4-3-3 from Madugu.
Erharbor
Oladipo-Isah-Demehin-Ogbonna
Ucheibe
Okobi.Okeoghene-Echegini
Ajibade-Monday-Babajide.
There was often noticeable coordination at the back as the goalkeeper interacted well with her defensive colleague which makes it looks as if she (the goalkeeper) has been with the team for 100 years. Making her debut, Erharbor looked sharper and dialled in, saving the team from an early goal by coming out to smother the chance, sparing Isah’s blushes after the centre back handed the Cameroonian striker free access to goal.
Monday was as lively as a butterfly, darting from centre forward to the flanks where she made a nuisance of herself with delicate crosses and neat legovers.
Babajide combined well with those around her and produced moments of class with quality deliveries off the flank which could also be said of Ajibade who exuded maturity with every touch and movement. Yet, the 3 of them failed to fashion a finish against Cameroon defence who stood tall.
The Super Falcons midfield was okay as Echegini showed eagerness and urgency but it could be argued that the physicality of the Cameroonians proved problematic to her. Okobi-Okeoghene was only too happy to be back in the fold and perhaps brought all her years of experience to bear to ensure the team wasn’t overrun in the middle, leaving Ucheibe to shield the back 4.
Demehin did her thing with authority but seemed like a stranger to the other 3 defenders she was paired with.
Oladipo tried to stimulate attack initiatives with her overlaps and crosses which were cute.
Omewa, Ijamilusi and Ihezue were eager to get into the thick of things as subs, maybe a bit too eager as some of their deliveries seemed rushed and not well calibrated. The other subs did their best.
Overall, the team played like a collection of diverse strangers invited to a party to know each other for the first time and click rather than a gathering of supremely familiar alumni who all went to the same nursery, primary and secondary schools.
Madugu has assembled a strange smorgasbord of players who will need to be rigorously drilled to achieve coherence, compactness and coordination worthy of credible Wafcon contenders in games to come.
Deo wan come dey vex me small small lol. One loss go surely reduce our ranking.
We couldn’t beat Benin republic, now Cameroon that only managed to qualify for WAFCON after CAF increased teams from 12 to 16.
Back to back games oh.
Na world stage we wan shine now?
Make we just pray say them postpone WAFCON because Senegal who qualified will honestly not show up when their country people are in Moroccan jails
And if Morocco refuses to host, they never played any qualifiers in the first place so they can’t retain the slot either and that will mean Brazil 2027 no-show.
So they are condemned to host lol
But Madugu is being found out oh
I laugh in Tiv.
“Strange smorgasbord of players” called from space by alien na.
3 years after world cup 2023 now distant feat.
Waldrums team is aging. Oga coach, rather than think youth, is inviting “older glory” join.
If e didn’t dey, e didn’t dey.
Imagine an njury (God does not forbid bad thing) knocks out Esther Okoronkwo or Plumptre or Ucheibs and Echegini from WAFCON, who are the replacements from the obvious last friendlies that NFF will do before WAFCON (even if it’s postponed but I pray it isn’t so that everywhere go first blur with the rate we are going)?
Let Madugu keep selling slots jare because Zambia and Malawi are pushovers.
It’s ridiculous and shameful that we couldn’t beat Cameroon with mostly home based players (for the record, they invited only one china based star).
No shot on target in 90 minutes!
And we want to reach WAFCON semis to qualify directly for world cup!
Yes, there is playoff for losing quarterfinalists but it is another 4 games if I am not mistaken if we chose that route and we are playing foreign nations for that.
I dey laugh at the retrogression in under 3 years of world cup 2023 and respectable olympics 2024 performances.
Teams are moving from strength to strength. We here are saying not Nigerian style. E no get how. Everywhere go blur.