By Ishaka Dedan
The Super Falcons, Nigeria’s senior women’s national football team, are on course to make history at the ongoing TotalEnergies Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) in Morocco. They were the first team to secure a spot in the quarter-finals, following commanding wins over Tunisia (3-0) and Botswana (1-0) in their opening two group matches.
Their final group stage game against Algeria ended in a goalless draw, taking their total to seven points from three matches and sealing their top spot in the group.
Continuing their impressive run, the Falcons booked a place in the semi-finals after thrashing the much-hyped Copper Queens of Zambia 5-0 — the most goals scored by any team in a single match at the tournament so far. Remarkably, they are also the only team yet to concede a goal.
The Falcons are now set to face the winner between South Africa and Senegal in the semi-finals on Tuesday, with the outcome of that fixture to be decided today.
Behind this stellar performance is the tactical brilliance of Coach Justin Pwanidi Madugu, an Adamawa-born football tactician from Numan Local Government Area. Speaking from Casablanca, Morocco, Coach Madugu expressed his gratitude to Nigerians for their support and prayers. He pledged to remain focused and continue working hard with the team to bring home the trophy for a record 10th time.
Following the departure of former head coach Randy Waldrum, Coach Madugu stepped in as interim head coach of the Super Falcons. With Nigeria’s strong performance under his leadership, he is now strongly positioned to be confirmed as the substantive head coach — a historic achievement that would make him the first from Adamawa State to hold the position permanently.
Let us continue to support and pray for our own, and for Team Nigeria as a whole, as they aim to cement their dominance in women’s football on the African continent.
