Later tonight, July 28, Nigeria will play Malawi in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) championship defense. Head coach Justin Madugu and captain Rasheedat Ajibade are adamant that the Super Falcons are focused on winning to start their campaign.
In their Group C opening match at Al Madina Stadium in Rabat, the 10-time African champions take on tournament newcomers Malawi in their quest for a record-extending 11th continental title.
Winning is typically your ultimate goal when preparing for a competition or participating in any tournament. You take each game as it comes and make every effort to ensure that you win every one of them. At the pre-match press conference, Madugu stated, “The ultimate goal is to ensure that we win every match that we go into.”
Nigeria is in strong form going into Morocco, having won eight of their previous nine games across all competitions. Their efforts culminated in a 2-1 victory over Tanzania, with Esther Okoronkwo scoring the game-winning goal late in the second half after Ajibade had opened the score.
In the previous edition, the Super Falcons won the championship after rallying from behind to defeat Morocco, the hosts, 3-2 in an exciting final.
Malawi, on the other hand, have lost five of their previous six games going into their first WAFCON campaign. They lost to Ghana 4-0 in their last warm-up, and they haven’t scored in four of their previous six games.
Despite these difficulties, the Scorchers demonstrated their abilities throughout qualification, easily defeating Angola to secure their spot in the tournament and holding Zambia to a draw.
Ashleigh Plumptre, a defender for Nigeria, is set to be sidelined due to injury, but Madugu still has a formidable team, with Okoronkwo and Ajibade slated to lead the assault. The sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga are probably the greatest threat to Malawi.
After Okoronkwo posted on social media that $700 had been taken from her wallet at the team’s Marriott Hotel base in Casablanca, the tournament build-up was momentarily overshadowed. Several teammates were also allegedly impacted.
Monkey emojis and other derogatory remarks were among the racist remarks that followed her remarks on Instagram.
In response, the forward stated on Sunday that the incident will not divert the team from its goal.
“Hatred cannot be eliminated. That is only possible with love. We proceed with pride, solidarity, and resolve. I’ll see you on the field,” Okoronkwo wrote.
Prior to the first game, Ajibade also voiced confidence in the team’s preparedness.
“The team has a positive attitude. Everyone has their entire attention. We are prepared to take things one step at a time since we understand why we are here. Thus, we’re completely prepared,” she declared.
The skipper stated that the Falcons would not undervalue Malawi despite Nigeria being the favorites.
“We treat every team with respect and humility. Malawi’s first-ever WAFCON qualification demonstrates their improvement and deliberate investment in women’s football. The fact that some of their athletes are playing in the top five divisions indicates that women’s football in Africa has a very promising future, she said.
Ajibade emphasized that winning three points was more important than style.
“Winning three points is a good performance for the Super Falcons because that’s what counts in this tournament.” You may discuss tactics, how you play, and everything else, but if you don’t win, I don’t think it matters,” she remarked.
Additionally, she asked Nigerian fans to support the squad all the way through the competition.
We can see their love, support, and desire for us to succeed. Their assistance has always been crucial to our achievements. We need that enthusiasm to continue pushing the bar and flying the flag of our country, therefore we want them to duplicate it and even quadruple it. To make them proud, we will do every effort.
Nigeria will play Egypt and Zambia in their Group C campaign following Tuesday’s opening match.I can also create a corresponding Facebook post, headline choices, SEO title, and meta description if you’d like.
