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Debutants Malawi pulled off the biggest upset in this year’s Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after edging out defending champions Nigeria’s Super Falcons in Group C on Tuesday, completesports.com reports.
Sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga got the three goals for Malawi while Rasheedat Ajibade and Uchenna Kanu were on target for the Super Falcons.
The defeat leaves the Super Falcons in a difficult situation as they must now beat Zambia in their second game on Saturday, August 1, to stand a chance of progressing from the group stage.
As for Malawi, a win against Egypt will secure qualification into the knockout round.
In the group’s first game earlier on Tuesday, Zambia hammered Egypt 6-0 with Barbara Banda scoring four goals.
Malawi went close early in the game but Tosin Demehin made a vital block for a corner kick.
The Super Falcons went close on 18 minutes but Esther Okoronkwo’s header was well saved by the keeper.
Ajibade almost opened the scoring on 28 minutes but saw her header from Okoronkwo’s corner stopped by the keeper.
Also Read: WAFCON 2026: Chawinga Confident Malawi Can Challenge Super Falcons
With 10 minutes left in the first half Chiamaka Nnadozie had to stretch to stop a danger cross from connecting to a Malawian player.
The Super Falcons went close on 49 minutes as Ajibade hit a low shot which was well saved.
But it was Malawi who took the lead in the 69th minute as Temwa beat the offside trap, rounded Nnadozie and slotted into an empty net.
The Super Falcons went in search of the equaliser but could not breach a well organised Malawi backline.
With 10 minutes left Tabitha made it 2-0 after racing to a long pass and slotted the ball under Nnadozie.
Ajibade pulled a goal back for the Super Falcons on 92 minutes from the penalty spot after Kanu’s goal-bound header was stopped by a Malawian player using her hand.
But Malawi restored their two-goal advantage as Temwa got her second goal to put her side 3-1 up on 95 minutes, lobbing Nnadozie who had rushed out of her goal area.
Then in the 99th minute Kanu was quickest to a knock down header before slotting into the net to make it 3-2.
By James Agberebi
11 Comments
So if Nnadozie had not rushed out to buy loiloi abi na akamu, the score line would have been a 2-2 draw.
I no know who send am message. She rushed out, and now we are about to rush out of the competition and the world cup.
Very very poor from the Super Falcons today. I’m flabbergasted.
Playing like this, there is no chance against Zambia. To get a result against Banda and co, they simply must do better.
We had more possession, created more chances, but failed to convert. And when you fail to convert, you are courting disaster.
We are also hearing that bonuses from the last Wafcon are yet to be paid! Of course, this will affect the players. If we fail to qualify for the world cup, this NFF would have the honor of finally putting Nigerian football to sleep. Back to back failure to qualify for men’s world cup, and the icing on the cake will be failure to qualify for the women’s world cup.
Let us see what will happen in the upcoming NFF elections!
I hope they do realize that the 4 semi finalists qulify for the World Cup next year….We can’t afford to miss that.
Never underrate any Southern African female team…. They all play their club football in South Africa.
True talk. In fact, never underrate any team. Pride goes before a fall.
We are out.
Zambia and Malawi ONLY NEED TO WIN ONE MORE GAME EACH.
Malawi can do that against Egypt.
Zambia only need to beat Malawi ASSUMING THEY LOSE to us.
Head to head will mean Zambia topples Malawi and
Nigeria, even with 6 points CAN NEVER OVERTAKE Malawi.
Yes, some people’s “flair” coach may have BECOME THE FIRST ONE to NOT QUALIFY US FOR THE FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP.
I congratulate all of them including Gusau for CREATING THIS UNWANTED HISTORY.
Never say never!Remember this!!
The super falcons team has not grown since waldrum left.
This is a far departure from the tactically compact and purposeful team Waldrum built.
We’ve been wobbling, fumbling and relying on our big names, vibes and Insha Allah since day 1 under madugu.
I was called a hater when I said him winning the last Awcon doesn’t convince me of his technical proficiency.
Like his fellow local coaches, he gets exposed once he meets an averagely tactically decent team which a few technically good players.
And what about the overall attitude of the team going into this tournament…..? Poor and Unserious. And it all showed in this game.
I said what I said.
This girls are playing Shakira too much,
Football is not afrobeat,
It’s a social military campaign,
They thought they can just go past all teams like that bcoz they are good, they need to be serious.
The coach need to respect his opponents too,
He doesn’t need to play players out of position, alozzie have no business in the left back, he have a natural left back and if he must play Oladipo he should play her as left back and allow alozzie keep her right back.
Ayinde is old what is she starting for. Uchebe, abiodun and Jennifer should be his permanent midfield, changes should be between paign and ayinde when time has gone.
Play ajibade, okorokwo and kanu in ur attack. Babajide, ihezuo and oshuola can be substitutes.
It’s very important to play abiodun and Christi uchebe in the holding midfield, that will create balance in diffence too.
I blame nadozie overconfidence,
Ajibade unseriosness, alozzie’s oversabi, Oladipo nervousness,
Okorokwo laziness, ayinde tiredness due to age, echiegine late decisions and unnecessary dribbling attempts.
If we fail to beat Zambia we are out of the world Cup.
A draw will not be enough
I am smelling a surprise World Cup miss.
I pray we beat Zambia
These Falcons are very badly coached! the worst coach in the world, collecting money to pick old cargo players like Ordega and NFF Officials trying to chop some players. The only team the Super Falcons coach handled in Nigeria were relegated! That’s the coach we have. It is a racket! Coach has 15 slots in the team and NFF has the rest of the players as their slot. That’s why they sacked Randy Waldrum, the Oyebo coach that blocked all the slot rubbish. This team will not qualify for the world cup.
We are too quick to blame our local coaches when our teams falter, thinking foreign coaches are super and flawless! Yet this same Madugu beat all comers including WAFCON squads coached by so-called elite European Coaches only last year.
Same “Home base Coach” won the WAFCON tournament a year ago in same Morocco pitch, beating a Spanish world cup winning Coach of Morocco to the title in the final match. Same home based coach won the “Women’s African Coach of the Tournament and of the year award, about 7 months ago, beating the likes of Spanish Moroccan coach; thrashing Swedish Zambian Coach on the way to completion of “Mission X” only a year ago! Perhaps some of the blame should go to lacklustre SF players- who came with too much arrogance and underated a very fit and agile Malawian girls compared to the aging SF team, the later thinking they only need to turn up and victory is assured.
Not that Coach Madugu does not deserve some blame, especially with the selection of the squad- relying on old, unfit players, instead of injecting many players from the U-20 Falconets squad, especially the likes of the burstling, very fit 18- year old striker Janet, now with Benfica feminine in Portugal. Even an injection of younger blood from the last U-17 girls with more energy to mix with the experienced older girls in SF will not be a bad idea!
Bottom line is that younger bloods need to be injected into the SF squad to mix up with the older, more experienced women. The African game is becoming too physical and pacier for the likes of Ordega, Oshoala and the Ohales.
Hahahaha……same home based coach has been humbled by a Malawian coach leading a debutant Malawian team……LMAOoooo.
That is the difference
Malawi could easily have spanked us 5-0 last night…..LMAOoo. Despite having a goal ruled out they still put 3 past us……LMAOooo
Tell your madugu to go and defeat the same Spanish world cup winning coach when he’s coaching the Spanish national team….lets check something.
Don’t worry….. maybe your senses will return when we have been booted out of the women’s world cup the same way we were booted out of the men’s world cup due to the coaches’ tactical bankruptcy. Continue hyping mediocrity ehn…… LMAOoo