Key Takeaways
- Super Falcons coach, Justin Madugu, and captain, Rasheedat Ajibade, said Nigeria will start WAFCON title defence with a win against Malawi on July 28.
- Nigeria face WAFCON debutants Malawi in Group C at Al Madina Stadium, Rabat, after winning eight of their last nine matches.
- Forward, Esther Okoronkwo, said a $700 theft and racist Instagram abuse will not distract the team, as Nigeria next face Zambia and Egypt.
Nigeria will begin the defence of their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title against Malawi later tonight, July 28, with head coach Justin Madugu and captain Rasheedat Ajibade insisting the Super Falcons are focused on opening their campaign with a win.
The 10-time African champions face tournament debutants Malawi in their Group C opener at Al Madina Stadium in Rabat as they chase a record-extending 11th continental crown.
“Usually when you prepare for a competition, and you go for any tournament, your ultimate goal is to win. You approach every game as it comes and try as much as possible to make sure that you win all your games. For every match that we go into, the ultimate goal is to ensure that we win,” Madugu said at the pre-match press conference.
Nigeria arrive in Morocco in impressive form, winning eight of their last nine matches in all competitions. Their preparations ended with a 2-1 win over Tanzania, where Ajibade opened the scoring before Esther Okoronkwo struck the winner late in the second half.
The Super Falcons lifted the title in the last edition after coming from behind to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in a thrilling final.
Malawi, meanwhile, head into their maiden WAFCON appearance after losing five of their last six matches. Their final warm-up ended in a 4-0 defeat to Ghana, while they failed to score in four of their last six outings.
Despite those struggles, the Scorchers showed their quality during qualification, holding Zambia to a draw and comfortably overcoming Angola to seal their place at the tournament.
Nigeria are expected to be without defender Ashleigh Plumptre because of injury, but Madugu still has a strong squad available, with Ajibade and Okoronkwo expected to spearhead the attack. Malawi’s biggest threat is likely to come from sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga.
The build-up to the tournament was briefly overshadowed after Okoronkwo revealed on social media that $700 had been stolen from her wallet at the team’s Marriott Hotel base in Casablanca, with several teammates also reportedly affected.
Her comments attracted a wave of racist abuse on Instagram, including monkey emojis and other offensive messages.
The forward responded on Sunday, insisting the incident would not distract the team from its mission.
“Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that. We move forward with pride, unity and determination. See you on the pitch,” Okoronkwo posted.
Ajibade also expressed confidence in the squad’s readiness ahead of the opening fixture.
“The team’s spirit is high. Everyone is fully focused. We know why we’re here and we are ready to take things one step at a time. So we’re 100 per cent ready,” she said.
Although Nigeria are favourites, the captain said the Falcons would not underestimate Malawi.
“We’re approaching every team with a sense of humility and respect. Seeing Malawi qualify for WAFCON for the first time shows the progress they are making and the intentional investment in women’s football. Some of their players are competing in the top five leagues, which shows the future of women’s football in Africa is very bright,” she said.
Ajibade stressed that securing three points mattered more than style.
“A good performance for the Super Falcons is to win three points because that’s what matters in this tournament. You can talk about how you play, the tactics and everything else, but if you do all that and don’t win, I don’t think it counts for anything,” she said.
She also urged Nigerian supporters to continue backing the team throughout the competition.
“We see their support, we see their love and how much they want us to win. Their support has always been instrumental to our success. We want them to replicate that energy and even double it because we need it to keep raising the standard and keep flying the flag of our nation high. We will do everything possible to make them proud.”
After Tuesday’s opener, Nigeria will continue their Group C campaign against Zambia and Egypt.If you’d like, I can also produce a matching Facebook post, headline options, SEO title, and meta description.
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