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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Sports

Falcons’ leaky defence troubles Madugu

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Nigeria's Super Falcons coach Justin Madugu is concerned about his team's defensive lapses in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations, where they have conceded five goals in three matches.
  • Madugu vowed to address these avoidable goals and ensure players remain focused to avoid mistakes ahead of their quarter-final against Cameroon.
  • The Super Falcons advanced to the quarter-finals as second in Group C and will face Cameroon on Sunday for a spot in the semi-finals and a chance to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Super Falcons head coach Justin Madugu has voiced significant concern over his team's defensive frailties during the ongoing 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations. Nigeria, a 10-time champion, has conceded five goals across three matches, including three in their 3-2 loss to Malawi and two in their dominant 6-2 victory over Egypt. This defensive record is a stark contrast to their usual solidity, prompting Madugu to vow immediate attention to these lapses.

We have been a team that has been very solid defensively, but of recent we are conceding very unnecessary goals, which is something that is a bit worrisome, and we have to do a lot of work to try and ensure that the girls do not switch off in the course of any game.

— Justin MaduguSpeaking after the match about the team's defensive performance.

"We have been a team that has been very solid defensively, but of recent we are conceding very unnecessary goals, which is something that is a bit worrisome," Madugu stated in a post-match interview. He emphasized the need to work on ensuring players do not switch off during games, acknowledging that the manner of conceded goals calls for serious concern. "So we have to work more on ourselves, trying to ensure that we minimise the kind of mistakes that we make that result in us conceding goals."

The manner with which we are conceding those goals calls for serious concern, and it is something that we will have to address.

— Justin MaduguExpressing his worry over the nature of goals conceded.

The Super Falcons are set to face Cameroon in a quarter-final clash. Madugu acknowledged the challenge posed by the Indomitable Lionesses, noting that both teams traded victories in recent friendly matches. However, he stressed that past results would not dictate their approach to the crucial knockout game. Nigeria secured their quarter-final berth as the second-placed team in Group C, advancing on tie-breakers after finishing level on points with Malawi and Zambia. They will play Cameroon on Sunday in Rabat with a place in the semi-finals and qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup on the line.

So we have to work more on ourselves, trying to ensure that we minimise the kind of mistakes that we make that result in us conceding goals.

— Justin MaduguOutlining the team's plan to improve defensively.
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Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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