A former Super Falcons forward Stella Mbachu and some coaches in Nigerian women’s football believe the team needs to up the tempo of their performance at the ongoing 2024 WAFCON in Morocco, where they will face Zambia in the quarter-finals on Friday.
Under the guidance of coach Justine Madugu, the Falcons booked their place in the last eight of the tournament with a game to spare, but their performance in those games has left Nigerians worried about their chances of winning a 10th WAFCON title.
After a 3-0 win over Tunisia in their first game, the team became less convincing in their second game – a scrappy 1-0 win over Botswana thanks to a late goal by Chiwendu Ihezuo – before playing out a frustrating goalless draw against Algeria in the last game.
Ahead of Friday’s quarter-final clash against Zambia, who beat the team in the third-place playoff during the 2022 edition, Mbachu says the Falcons must change their approach.
“You don’t expect them to play all through beautifully. They may play below expectations but that should push them to go back to the drawing board to know their shortcomings and correct it,” Mbachu told The PUNCH.
“I am glad we noticed it in the group stages and that affords them the time to correct before the quarter-finals. They will start doing well now. They should reapply another tactic, another approach for the quarter-finals. The approach they will use now will also determine their fate in the semi-finals and finals.”
A former coach of the team, Edwin Okon, believes it is up to the players and the technical crew to identify the areas they need to improve.
“I am happy that we are progressing but we just need to take it how it comes. The players know what is at stake. The coaches will also know what to do to succeed. Whether they have beaten us before, this is a different ball game altogether, so I am sure the players know what is at stake,” the coach said.
Former assistant coach of the team, Mansur Abdullahi, also expressed confidence in the team.
“Zambia is not a pushover. We saw how they performed against the hosts Morocco in their first game. So, as a former assistant coach of the Falcons, I have confidence in the team and that the coaches will address any lapses and the team will do better,” Abdullahi said.
