Super Falcons head coach Justin Madugu has shared his thoughts ahead of the team’s final group stage match at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) against Algeria on Sunday, emphasising that the primary objective remains securing victory.
Nigeria have made an impressive start to the tournament, qualifying for the quarterfinals with one game to spare. They’ve won their first two group games for the first time since 2014 and they’ve also kept back-to-back clean sheets to open a WAFCON campaign — a feat last achieved in 1998.
Despite the historic numbers, Madugu downplayed the focus on records, stressing that success will ultimately be measured by winning the title.
“Records and statistics are not our major worry for now. These are things that happen in the course of competitions. It’s not something you set out to do. The most important is winning your games and achieving complete success at the end of the tournament,” he said during the pre-match press conference.
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The coach did, however, acknowledge the importance of the team’s strong defensive display while pointing out the need for continuous improvement.
“It’s a good thing that the team has not been conceding goals, it also shows that defensively we’re strong. But we need to work on areas that we know we need to do better. We are keeping tabs on those areas with every game, we try to make sure that we get them better in subsequent games,” he added.
Looking ahead to the clash with Algeria, Madugu emphasized the need for adaptability, noting that each match presents a unique challenge.
“No two games are the same, the approaches are always different, both from your own side and the opposition. That’s why it’s important to have different plans. We are getting ready, we are getting set for the game and we’ll be good to go,” he said.
Madugu highlighted the importance of squad rotation, revealing that changes would be made to keep players fresh and give others a chance to contribute.
“We came here with 21 players and as much as possible, we try to manage our players very well, keep them fresh, avoid injuries and try to give everybody a chance to see what they can also do,” he explained.
“In the game we’ll be playing tomorrow, obviously there’ll be changes in the team because we need to give others an opportunity to have a feel of the competition. So there’ll be changes certainly.”
Nigeria could face Zambia or tournament hosts Morocco in the knockout stage if they top their group with a win over Algeria. However, Madugu maintained that the Super Falcons are focused on taking each game as it comes.
“We’ll take every game one at a time. The game before us is the game against Algeria. We’ll need to cross this hurdle and then we’ll have enough time to be able to look at who the next opponent will be,” he stated.
“However, we know the teams that would qualify once the draws were made. We always anticipate the possible opponents. Whichever one that comes our way, we’ll not be caught unawares because we know who we are expecting and the likely opposition. We have a plan for that and it will be taken care of at the appropriate time.”
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