The victorious Super Falcons have been sharing their journey of grit and triumph, following an extraordinary 3–2 comeback performance over the host nation, Morocco in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final on Saturday night.
As the team prepares for a celebratory trophy parade in Abuja today, they continue to reflect on a night that landed them a record 10th WAFCON title in the Moroccan capital Rabat.
Playing in a stadium packed with Moroccan home supporters, Nigeria found themselves 2–0 down at halftime following first-half goals from Ghizlane Chebbak and Sanaa Mssoudy.
But the victorious Super Falcons turned the match on its head in the second half through a VAR-awarded penalty converted by Esther Okoronkwo, followed by her assist to Folashade Ijamilusi to equalise, and finally Jennifer Echegini’s winner in the 88th minute delivered the record-extending 10th title.
Head coach Justin Madugu revealed the turning point came during the halftime talk: “If they didn’t have mental resilience, they would have given up. But they kept believing and they earned this victory.”
“We did a lot of talking at halftime… I reminded them of who they are — champions. I told them Morocco may have the crowd, but we have history, pride and fire.”
Madugu explained that it wasn’t just tactical adjustments that changed the game, but also a psychological reset: “We had a game plan, but we made errors that gave them two goals. We had to adjust, both tactically and mentally.”
Esther Okoronkwo, who ignited the comeback, shared her thoughts about staying focused under pressure:“We’re not worried about the pressure… we’re focused on the cup, winning it and bringing it back to Nigeria. That’s all we care about.”
“I knew we were always going to come back with Nigeria. We’re the giant of Africa for a reason… We weren’t stressed, we were just trying to find the strength and composure to come back.”
Captain Rasheedat Ajibade, who was instrumental throughout the tournament, emphasised the team’s unity and leadership in difficult moments, saying “These are the kind of games we want to play. Getting to the semi‑final shows the effort the team put into every game… we don’t let that get to us, we do our job … We are doing this for those girls aspiring to be here one day.”
“It’s emotional, a very emotional thing for me… We just have one match to go and for sure, we’ll give our best, as always, for Nigeria to keep supporting us.”
With their confidence proven and mission accomplished, the victorious Super Falcons will arrive in Abuja on Monday, July 29, before embarking on a trophy parade.
Starting from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at noon, the open‑roof bus will travel through Airport Road, Berger Junction, Wuse Market and Maitama, ending at the Presidential Villa, according to the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF).
NFF Secretary‑General Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, while inviting fans to join the celebrations said: “We are calling on fans to come out and honour these heroines.”
