Super Falcons head coach Justin Madugu has admitted that Nigeria still has significant work to do despite securing a 2-1 victory over Senegal in an international friendly on Friday. Goals from Asisat Oshoala and Toni Payne earned a 2-1 victory for the 10-time African champions, but head coach Justin Madugu believes the performance also exposed areas that require further improvement.
The victory came after another productive outing from Oshoala, one of Nigeria’s most experienced attackers. The former African Women’s Player of the Year remains a key figure for the Super Falcons and once again contributed on the scoresheet.
Payne also played an important role as Nigeria maintained control for long periods before facing late pressure from the Senegalese side.
Although Nigeria enjoyed the better of the contest, Senegal proved difficult opponents and stayed competitive throughout the match. The visitors limited Nigeria’s scoring opportunities and pushed forward in the closing stages as they searched for an equaliser.
Speaking after the match, Madugu explained that the result was important, but the wider objective was to evaluate players and tactical plans ahead of the upcoming continental tournament.
“It’s a good result, and naturally, when you play any game, you always want to win,” Madugu said via official54fx.
“This is a preparatory game, and the aim is to assess our readiness, test the strategies we want to execute in the competition, and give players the opportunity to showcase what they can do to provide us with more options with the players.
“These are the matches we use to identify which players are fully ready for the WAFCON. It was not so much of a bad game for us, but as you know, there is always room for improvement.
“Yes, we did well, but we know there is still a lot of work to be done.”
The Super Falcons will face Senegal again on Monday as preparations for the 2026 WAFCON continue. The second fixture will provide Madugu and his coaching staff with another opportunity to assess squad depth, test combinations, and fine-tune strategies before the continental competition begins.
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