Super Falcons head coach Justin Madugu has applauded his team’s collective performance after Nigeria got their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) campaign off to a flying start with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Tunisia, Soccernet.ng reports.
Nigeria’s goals came through Asisat Oshoala, Rinsola Babajide, and Chinwendu Ihezuo in a match that signalled the Falcons’ intent to dominate the tournament.
The win put the nine-time African champions in pole position in their group and handed Madugu the perfect start to his tenure at a major tournament.
“It always feels good each time you set out to go out for a game. The ultimate goal for you is to win. And the fact that the team won, obviously, it is only natural that we are happy that the team won,” Madugu said post-match.
Oshoala opened the scoring within the first ten minutes, setting the tone early. Babajide added a second just before the interval with an excellent finish, and substitute Ihezuo sealed the win late on.
Despite the comfortable lead at half-time, Madugu made bold changes, withdrawing star players Oshoala, Babajide, and midfielder Deborah Abiodun, replacing them with Esther Okoronkwo, Christy Ucheibe, and Ihezuo.
Interestingly, substitutes Okoronkwo and Ihezuo combined for Nigeria’s third goal of the encounter to the delight of Madugu, who was an assistant coach when the Falcons last won the WAFCON in 2018.
Madugu added: “Well, every player that is here is equally of great importance. For us, they all are players and we try as much as possible to promote team harmony and make everybody feel relevant in the team and nobody feels more important than the other.
“The game is a team sport. You all need each other. And so we try as much as possible to ensure that we do the right thing by being fair, transparent in all that we do. Like I said, everybody has an equal chance of being in the team.
“So whoever does well continues, whoever does not do well, obviously, because we want to do better, we have the privilege of making those changes so that we get the team going.”
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Madugu, who took the reins as head coach following Nigeria’s mixed performances at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, said the job came with immense responsibility — but also immense pride.
“It’s a privilege that I have been given by my country to lead the team as the head coach which I am most grateful for. It’s a Herculean task having to shoulder the responsibility of managing a team as great as the Super Falcons,” he noted.
“They are one of the best teams in Africa. Even globally they have high standards. But we thank God we’re doing our best to try and ensure that we sustain and even do better than what the team has done in the past, so it’s still work in progress.”
Despite the dominant display, Madugu was quick to stress that his team is far from the finished article. He said the squad remains focused on improvement.
“Now, with regard to the game, we are not flattered by the score line. We know what we set out to do. We have watched the game. We have noticed areas that we also know that we need to improve. So it’s still work in progress.
“It’s the first match. You don’t expect your team to be at their best playing from the first game. The expectation is that you hope to get better in every game up to the finals.”
Nigeria next face Botswana — who suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Algeria in their opener — knowing that a second consecutive win would secure their place in the quarterfinals before their final group match.
