Nigeria crashed out of WAFCON at the quarter-final stage after succumbing 1-0 to Cameroon. This was a historic moment as it means they exited the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations at their earliest stage in the history of the tournament. It leaves them with a much more challenging qualification route for the 2027 WWC.
The trouble wasn’t a lack of chances. Nigeria created ample opportunities to pull back the game but simply didn’t execute. Both Uchenna Kanu and Esther Okoronkwo got chances in the game, whilst Michaely Bihina also produced heroics throughout with several top stops to deny Nigeria an equalizer.
At the other end, Chiamaka Nnadozie’s tough time continued as she couldn’t deal with Myriam Nyadjou’s well-struck free-kick in the 20th minute. Cameroon only generated a few other chances beyond the goal but defended exceptionally well for the remainder of the tie.
Nigeria also suffered on the left-hand side with Michelle Alozie on again at left-back, diminishing her attacking threat, and the Super Falcons failed to get enough quality and width from that area.
The defeat to Cameroon saw Nigeria miss out on automatic World Cup qualification for the WWC, awarded to the 4 teams in the final four. The Super Falcons will now have to overcome South Africa in the playoff to stand any chance of continuing their pursuit to Brazil.
The Super Falcons don’t have too much time to reflect on this Cameroon defeat. They need to iron out their finishing, the defensive system and ultimately their decision-making in the final third in order to survive the qualification process.
For a team that has been so dominant in the women’s game for decades, this should serve as a much-needed warning. The talent pool is there; Nigeria simply needs to discover the ruthless edge which they lacked at the WAFCON tournament in Casablanca.
