SUPER Falcons head coach Justine Madugu has promised that be and his players will give their all in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) final against hosts Morocco.
The nine-time African champions are in hunt for a milestone 10th WAFCON title on Saturday night when they battle the Atlas Lionesses in Rabat for the continental trophy.
The Super Falcons saw off defending champions South Africa in the semi-finals with a dramatic 2-1 victory on Tuesday, and Madugu has now set his sights on his first trophy as the team’s head coach.
“We thank God for making it to the final. I want to assure you that we are not going to relent or take our eyes off the ball,” Madugu told the Nigeria Football Federation media department.
“Our focus is on lifting the trophy in Rabat on Saturday.
“We knew South Africa, as Cup holders, would be difficult but we were ready for them. I am glad that our tactics paid off.
“As I said before the tournament, we will always assess the opposition first and then determine what tactics would suit us better and serve our purpose.
“We have done these in our previous five games and we will do the same
in the final.”
Incidentally, Morocco were one of the three teams that defeated the Super Falcons at the last WAFCON in 2022.
The other two — Zambia and South Africa — have already been beaten by Madugu’s side at the current edition: the Copper Queens fell 5-0 in the quarter-finals and Banyana Banyana 2-1 in the semi-finals.
It is the second time in 17 months that Nigeria will face the host nation in a major continental final (the Super Eagles played hosts Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the men’s AFCON in Abidjan in February 2024), with South Africa as the semi-final opponents in both.
The Super Falcons have scored an impressive 11 goals and conceded only one – a penalty scored by Linda Motlhalo in Tuesday’s semi-final in Casablanca.
The Atlas Lionesses have also been prolific, scoring 11 goals as well and conceding six.