A stunning goalless draw away to Portugal on Monday night in Lisbon appeared to confirm the Super Falcons’ readiness for this year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON 2025) in Morocco, but coach of the side, Justin Madugu promised that they won’t get carried away by the result.
Sports247 reports that, rather than stand tall and see his team as top bets to win the upcoming competition, which is scheduled to start on July 5th, Madugu stressed that they will not take any team for granted in Morocco.
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The Falcons did look resplendent at Estadio Jose Gomes on Monday night, with goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie pulling of several great saves, while Christy Ucheibe twinkled in midfield and Francisca Ordega dazzled upfront,
thereby raising hope that the nine-time African champions could jolly well pull off a tenth title next month in the Moroccan capital.
Although Madugu acknowledged that the challenge ahead of his girls in enormous, he equally enthused that they are in the right physical shape and mental frame to meet all expectations of their fans.
The ambitious gaffer concurred, “It’s a challenge, and we must take up the challenge. We must try to do our best to ensure we do not lower the standards of Nigeria for any reason.
“Nigeria is a big country. So, we have a lot at stake, and the girls know this is an important competition to participate it.”
Madugu also admitted that having gained a shock draw away to Portugal on Monday night could make the Falcons’ WAFCON opponents step up their efforts to stop the Nigerian squad during their group games in Casablanca, but quickly added that they just have to face all obstacles with determination.
The tactician reasoned, “Yes, it’s more pressure on us; but we must take up the challenge and try to do our best,
without using anything as an excuse.”
He concluded with a look at the Falcons’ group rivals, starting with Tunisia on July 6th, followed by Algeria and Botswana, all of which are rated lower than Nigeria on FIFA’s cards, but the soft-spoken coach reiterated that he and his players will not underrate any opponent.
“Certainly, we are not taking any team for granted. If you look at the results across Africa now, you can’t take anybody for granted, or you will do so at your own peril.
“So, we all know what is at stake. The players know what is at stake and, from their discussions in camp, with their attitude too, you can see that they are not taking anything for granted also,” Madugu affirmed.
Sports247 gathered that the Nigerian squad will leave Lisbon on Wednesday to land at their group base in Casablanca, where they will play their last build-up match on Sunday in a potentially explosive clash with the Black Queens of Ghana.
