Super Falcons head coach Justin Madugu has apologised to Nigerians and taken responsibility for Nigeria’s disappointing quarter-final defeat to Cameroon at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, insisting the team will fight to secure a place at next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup through the playoffs.
Nigeria’s hopes of securing an automatic ticket to the 2027 World Cup were dashed after Cameroon claimed a 1-0 victory in Casablanca, with Maéva Nyadjou’s free-kick proving decisive.
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The defeat means the Super Falcons must now navigate the African playoff route for one of the remaining opportunities to qualify for the tournament in Brazil.
Speaking after the game, a visibly disappointed Madugu apologised for failing to deliver the result Nigeria needed.
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“First of all, I want to apologise to Nigerians over our inability to win today’s game, which would have qualified us for the World Cup. It was not our intention,” Madugu said.
“The ladies did the best that they could, but that’s the way the game was destined to go.
“We apologise, and I take responsibility for that. We still have a second chance, and we will do our best to see what comes out of it.”
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Madugu denies division in Super Falcons camp
Madugu was also questioned about Nigeria’s late substitutions and the incident involving Esther Okoronkwo and Asisat Oshoala towards the end of the match.
Okoronkwo had an opportunity to equalise and opted to go for goal instead of passing to Oshoala, who appeared to be in a better position to score. The decision prompted a visible reaction from the experienced forward.
Asked whether there was any division within the squad or whether incentives reportedly promised to the players by the National Sports Commission had influenced their decisions, Madugu dismissed the suggestion.
“To the best of my mind, the girls, there’s no problem in the camp. There are no camps within the girls,” he said.
“They are all on the same page. They have been working together, cooperating. It’s just one of those things that can happen in the course of a game.
“I’m sure she felt she could score. That was why she made the attempt and probably would have passed the ball to Asisat, who was in a better position to score. But that is not to say there is any division amongst them.
“There is no division in the team. And again, well, I wouldn’t attribute that to the promises made by the National Sports Commission.”
Madugu instead blamed Nigeria’s failure to take their chances, insisting the Super Falcons created more opportunities against Cameroon than in their previous matches.
“In all the games they played, they never created the kind of chances they created today,” he said.
“But it’s just that the conversion was not right, and we were not precise and clinical with our finishing. And that accounted for why we couldn’t score the goals from the chances that were created. It’s just one of those things that happen in football.”
Super Falcons refuse to give up on World Cup dream
With Nigeria’s direct qualification opportunity gone, Madugu acknowledged the disappointment surrounding the result but promised that the team would make the most of its second chance.
“I quite understand the pains everybody is going through. We all know what it means for all of us as a country. And as I said, I apologise and take responsibility for that,” he said.
“But we still have a second chance, and we’ll give it our all to make sure that we do not disappoint and go the same way that the men took.
“We will do our best and try to get it right to make sure that we go through the playoffs.”
Madugu gives Cameroon credit
The Super Falcons coach also praised Cameroon for their defensive organisation and overall performance, while maintaining that Nigeria had enough opportunities to win the contest.
“I would like to give the Cameroonian team credit. I would like to congratulate the Cameroon team. They won their game today,” Madugu said.
“They came in via sort of the highest, one of the best-ranked teams in the tournament. And for their group, they won their two games and drew with Cape Verde in a match that did not really matter for their position.
“And for today, they did the best they could. They defended very well. But in spite of all that, we still created a lot of chances, which, if we had converted, the result would have been different.
“But that is not to say you take anything out from the effort, the energy they also expended in trying to make sure they had the game and get the result we didn’t get.
“So I give them credit for it, and we see how it goes.”
Nigeria will now turn their attention to the playoff, where South Africa await as another major hurdle in their quest to reach the 2027 World Cup.
Madugu said the coaching staff would conduct a detailed assessment before preparing for the crucial encounter.
“Yeah, we get another game, playoff of a second chance against South Africa. We go back, watch all the games still and then come up with a plan where we know it can help us because we cannot afford to drop that second opportunity.
“We have to give it all our best.”
Madugu admits changes could be considered
The coach also admitted that the quarter-final defeat would force the technical crew to assess every aspect of the team, including the possibility of introducing new players.
“It’s quite natural that when things like this happen, you have to do an overall assessment of the team. What went wrong? What did we do well? Where did we get it wrong?” he said.
“We have to do an overall assessment and then see what we can do within the shortest possible time before the next game against South Africa.
“There’s nothing bad in exploring other players.”
Madugu also defended goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie despite her involvement in the decisive moment, insisting that one mistake should not define her quality.
“Chiamaka has been a wonderful goalkeeper, not only in the national team, but even in a club. But like you are saying, anybody can make mistakes at any time, and then it could be costly, just as it was costly for us today.
“But that is not to say she’s a bad goalkeeper. It’s just one of those things that’s meant to be.”
Plumptre’s absence still a concern
Madugu also returned to Nigeria’s defensive struggles and pointed to the absence of Ashleigh Plumptre as one factor the team has had to contend with.
“It’s the same players that played last year that were not conceding goals. It’s the same players, the same group of players. Only one person is missing.
“Only Ashleigh Plumptre. And Ashleigh was playing from even the left fullback position. It was only Ashleigh.
“So, I mean, it’s something that we’ve been bothered, we’ve worried about it. We’ve been doing a lot to try and fix all this. But like I said, it’s just one of those things and we still have to continue to work.
“It’s still a work in progress.”
Madugu: Super Falcons must keep fighting
Despite the disappointment of losing their quarter-final, Madugu insisted Nigeria’s attacking approach was not entirely to blame, arguing that chances can come from different areas of the pitch.
“They got a goal from a set-piece, and it ended the game. So, chances can come from different aspects of the game, not necessarily just through build-up play,” he explained.
“We still had chances, a few chances that were created through the middle, but they had a good plan of trying to ensure that they block the central area, which assisted them.
“We equally had our own plan of ensuring that we go through the wings, and we were still creating chances from those wings. It’s not as if we didn’t have a plan to ensure that we could also go through the middle.”
He pointed specifically to Okoronkwo’s late opportunity as evidence that Nigeria were still capable of creating chances centrally.
“The chance Esther got, the final ball that came, it was not from the wing. It came through the middle,” Madugu said.
“So, sometimes when games go like this, it has a different way of interpretation, and then you just have to take it the way it is.
“It was not our intention that the game should go the way it went. If we had been more clinical, the result would have been different.”
With Nigeria’s World Cup hopes now resting on the playoff route, Madugu knows the margin for error has become even smaller.
“Going forward, like I said, as long as there is still an opportunity, we cannot afford to drop our guard,” he said.
“We will learn from this and go back and continue to work to make sure that we exploit the second chance that we have.
“We cannot give up. We must continue the fight.”
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