Oshoala, Madugu rally Nigerians’ support ahead Zambia clash
Super Falcons star Asisat Oshoala has called on Nigerians to support the team following the shock 3-2 defeat to Malawi in their opening match at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The Malawians produced a stunning performance to hand the Super Falcons their first defeat against a debutant in the history of the tournament.
The defeat means the Super Falcons must win their second game against Zambia on Saturday to stand a chance of advancing to the quarter-finals.
The 2026 WAFCON also serves as a qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Oshoala is confident that the Super Falcons will qualify for the tournament with the support of Nigerians.
She said: “This is a wake up call for the team, the Super eagles didn’t qualify for the World Cup, so we know what’s at stake, what we need right now is the support of all Nigerians.”
Similarly, Super Falcons coach, Justine Madugu described the loss to Malawi as a wake-up call, while also making clarifications on his decision to play Michelle Alozie at left-back.
He said: “When things like this happen, everybody has their opinion. Everybody is entitled to say whatever they say.
“If we had won, the comments people would be making would not be the same.
“When we played the last edition, and Ashleigh played at left full-back, she wasn’t a left full-back, but she did very well, and everybody appreciated her performances.
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“We had some challenges in defence, and I think Michelle deserves to be commended because she gave everything and played very well. The mistake didn’t come from her position. It’s not her involvement in that area that caused the goals we conceded. She’s a good defender, and if we didn’t believe she could play there, we wouldn’t have selected her.”
The 2024 WAFCON winning coach accepted responsibility for the defeat.
Madugu said: “There will always be criticism when things go wrong. We accept those comments, and we accept responsibility for what happened. We’ll go back, analyse our mistakes and work to correct them.
“It’s a wake-up call for all of us. We know the importance of this tournament, and we’re not taking anything for granted.
“We never took them for granted. We’ve been following their progress and knew they were a good side.
“They prepared very well, and playing regularly within the COSAFA region has helped improve teams from that part of Africa. Any team that qualifies for the WAFCON deserves respect. Malawi played well, earned the result and deserved the victory.”
The Super Falcons will be aiming to return back to winning ways when they take on Zambia on Saturday.
The Zambians produced a sensational performance to brush aside Egypt 6-0 in their opening Group C match.
The match is slated for 9pm Nigerian time at the Stade Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca.
