Nigeria revived their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Zambia in Rabat on Saturday, bouncing back from their opening defeat to Malawi despite playing with 10 women for much of the match.
The Super Falcons made the perfect start as veteran forward Asisat Oshoala scored the decisive goal in the eighth minute to hand Nigeria an early lead and boost their hopes of reaching the knockout stage.
Nigeria’s task became significantly more difficult when defender Oluwatosin Demehin was shown a straight red card for a foul on Zambia captain Barbra Banda, leaving the Super Falcons to play the remainder of the match with 10 players.
Despite being a player down for the entire second half, Justine Madugu’s side produced a disciplined defensive performance to withstand sustained pressure from Zambia. Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie made a series of important saves, while Nigeria’s defence remained resolute to preserve the narrow lead and secure all three points.
The victory marked a timely response from the Super Falcons following their surprise 3-2 opening defeat to tournament debutants Malawi and vindicated Madugu’s confidence that his side would recover from the setback.
Nigeria will now focus on their final Group C fixture against Egypt on Wednesday. Egypt are yet to pick up a point after losing their opening two matches, and another positive result could secure Nigeria’s place in the knockout stage as they continue their pursuit of another WAFCON title.
