Nigeria’s Super Falcons suffered a stunning 3-2 loss to Malawi in their Group C opener at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Rabat on Tuesday, handing the defending champions an unexpected early blow.
A tight first half at Al Medina Stadium ended scoreless, but the game exploded after the break as Malawi exploited repeated defensive errors to score three second-half goals. The Scorchers - playing their first WAFCON match - attacked with pace and precision on the counter, turning misplaced passes and poor goalkeeper positioning into decisive chances.
Temwa Chawinga broke the deadlock when she raced onto a misjudged long ball past goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie and tapped in.
Her sister Thabitha doubled the lead soon after, finishing off another long pass through Nnadozie’s legs.
Nigeria pulled one back from via a penalty through Rasheedat Ajibade after an Uchenna Kanu’s header was handled inside the Malawian’s box.
Mistimed positioning by Nnadozie allowed Temwa Chawinga to chip a lob into an open net, restoring Malawi’s two-goal cushion. Kanu converted a late stoppage-time strike to make it 3-2, but it proved only a consolation.
The loss leaves the Super Falcons under immediate pressure in a Group C now led by Zambia, who earlier thrashed Egypt 6-0.
Justin Madugu’s side must respond quickly when they meet Zambia on August 1 - a pivotal match that could decide their path to the knockout stages and their bid to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
0 comments:
Post a Comment