Super Falcons head coach Justine Madugu is looking forward to his side’s quarter-final clash against Zambia.
Nigeria will battle the Copper Queens for a place in the semi-final at the ongoing 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on Friday.
The encounter will hold at the Stade Larbi Zaouli, Casablanca.
Zambia have two fearsome forwards; Rachel Kundananji and captain Barbra Banda in their ranks.
The duo have impressed at the WAFCON 2024 finals with their speed, and clinical finishing.
Madugu however said his players will be ready for the challenge.
“We have our strategy. We’ve studied them closely. We know what they’re capable of,” Madugu told a press conference.
Read Also:WAFCON 2024: How Super Falcons Rated In Draw Vs Algeria
“We’re not too concerned about individual brilliance, it’s a team game. We’ll work on neutralising their strengths.”
Struggle Against Algeria
The Super Falcons were held to a 0-0 draw by Algeria in their last group game on Sunday night.
Despite Madugu making eight changes in his starting line-up, the nine-time champions were expected to roll over their opponent.
The West Africans however put up a lacksture display especially in attack.
The 60-year-old apologised for his team’s insipid display in the game.
“First of all, we want to apologise to our dear countrymen and women for not winning the game,” he added.
“I know the expectation is that we must always win. We gave it our best, but it didn’t go our way. We’re sorry, and we’ll work harder to make Nigerians proud in the games ahead.”
By Adeboye Amosu
5 Comments
Oga, with all due respect, your talk is different from actual match day performance. Kick and follow, huff and puff, “go do your thing”, no coach input.
Haba. Against very lowly opponents:
Against Tunisia:
24 shots, 9 on target.
Shooting accuracy: 38%. Tunisia had none.
When the team flattered to deceive. Overconfidence.
After being found out by even weaker ranked teams,
Against Botswana:
15 shots, 4 on target
Shooting accuracy: 26.7% against Botswana’s 33%
Even worse:
Against Algeria..
24 shots, 2 on target.
Shooting accuracy: Fearful to write… 8.3%.
Yes. 8.3% against a “wayward” opponent.
Not only was there a “progressive decline” in SHOTS ON TARGET (again, against “wayward” teams) but SHOT ACCURACY became worse after each match after 270 minutes of football.
Contrast that from the PERENNIAL DELUDED CHAMPIONS to Zambia’s:
Against Morocco:
11 shots, 6 on target.
Shooting accuracy: 55%, and Morocco 38%
Against Senegal:
14 shots, 6 on target
Shooting accuracy: 43%, opponent 31%
Against Congo DR:
17 shots, 4 on target
Shooting accuracy: 24%, opponent 18%
No opponent outscored them in terms of shooting accuracy especially when they played a World cup winner tutored Moroccan side.
Who be Madugu then?
Oh, if Plumptre misses world cup 2027 because Nigeria couldn’t beat Zambia and qualify via semi finalists route, NFF must shoulder the disgrace.
The men are battling to qualify, the women will now join after never failing to appear since their debut?
Then, glasshouse has no business having those incompetencies.
Friday is do or die for the players because they’ll SUDDENLY HAVE TO PULL A CHELSEA SURPRISE AGAINST PSG with Zambia with a great tactician, BY THEMSELVES because who the heck is MADUGU.
Inspired substitutions in previous matches that turned out to be ordinary yesterday?
Ajibade cannot shoot? Ucheibe, the relentless midfielder in Portugal, going anonymous. Echegini playing waywardly? Alozie, not her usual self? Ah!
NFF do this one… I hope their offices bite the dust if the players play according to Madugus instructions on Friday and crash out.
Someone should start telling the falcons their world cup 2027 dream is on the line so that they will USE THEIR HEADS and pool together the wisdoms from their club coaches and at least seal 2027 fate.
Golden eaglets cantered out of world cup last year for not getting the memo to succeed by themselves and a generation went cold.
Falcons should not bear the brunt. Tell me why Madugu snatched that girl from Malawi when he wasn’t gonna throw her in yesterday.
Anyway, NFF – I can’t believe Zambia scares me now – should bring another consortium of also rans coaches to help them now.
“I can’t believe Zambia scares me now.”
It’s amazing that many fans share that same feeling. Even when Zambia won the losers’ final in the last edition, no one gave a hoot. It felt like a fluke win, cos many Nigerians were like, “What’s bronze? If we’re not fighting for gold, forget it.”
Solid and scary stats on shooting accuracy you stacked up there. NFF and Madugu (NFF prefers a yes-man, not someone who will boldly look them in the face) have reduced the Super Falcons to an ordinary team huffing and puffing to beat Botswana and Algeria.
I felt more at ease watching Waldrum’s Super Falcons. Even when they don’t score, you could see the pattern of a well-drilled, coherent team with potential to go toe-to-toe with the best in the world. That magical but intangible element is gone. It’s just bare bones now, with wayward passes all over the field, like school girls on PE drills.
I cannot imagine Zambia is confident playing Nigeria on Friday. Oh, how the glory days have gone! Even pundits and Nigerian and Zambian fans are giving it to Zambia to go to the semi-finals.
Like you said, if by a stroke a luck, Nigeria pips the Copper girls, then it would be in spite of Madugu. It will be down to their talents and determination.
Cos, tbh, I can’t fathom any quality coaching input in the team. I don’t even see Madugu in the training videos or doing drills or passing instructions. He’s probably always sitting on a chair on the sidelines, frowning his face while the white assistant takes the girls on fitness runs. That’s all the “coaching” that’s probably done.
My only worries are how would super falcons react incase they went a goal or 2 down , because they seems to work very hard but atimes everything just look effortless….. fingers crossed
First thing first, Awcon 2026 will be used as the qualifier for the next women’s World Cup. That said, that does not mean that our dear super falcons should not beat the Zambian’s women come on Friday.
But I worry for this team. I have zero confidence in the coach. All I see him do from the sideline is yell at the players when they do something wrong. I just hope the players can lift themselves up and play with determination, remembering how they executed the last World Cup.
@Alex, I wrote this on one of the posts here yesterday:
“I beg to differ. Google “2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification” and visit Wikipedia.
Under “Summary of qualifications ” in QUALIFICATION Process, CAF qualifications end in February 2026.
In the table, qualification from CAF ends in October 2025.
That means 4 directly from current WAFCON and 2 others that will emerge to contest for intercontinental playoff with a confederation in March 2026.”
.
.
Remember how golden eaglets finished third in under 17 wafu cup two years ago and CAF bluntly told us we aren’t going to the afcon that will produce the teams for an expanded under 17 world cup?
Women World cup 2027 qualifiers for Africa ends this October according to that post on Wikipedia. How would the teams qualify before October if not this present WAFCON where 4 directly qualify after reaching the semis?
Read the article again. Madugu and NFF might not know so let the players be aware by themselves and USE THEIR HEADS.
CAF DOES NOT EVEN KNOW WHAT MONTH 2026 WAFCON WILL BEGIN.
So, this fits FIFA schedule.
Read the article again…