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Super Falcons head coach Justin Madugu has admitted that Nigeria’s best effort was not enough to secure qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the tournament ended on Thursday after the Super Falcons suffered a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in the qualifying play-off.
The result means Nigeria will miss the Women’s World Cup for the first time since the tournament began in 1991, ending the country’s record of appearing at every edition.
Speaking after the defeat, Madugu apologised to Nigerians and accepted responsibility for the failure to qualify.
“First of all, I have to apologise to Nigerians over our inability to make it to the World Cup. It was not our intention. We came and did the best that we could, but our best was not good enough,” he said.
“We are very sorry for that, and we take full responsibility for everything that happened,” Madugu added.
The coach was also asked about calls for his dismissal following the setback but said he was not afraid of losing his position.
“I am not afraid of being sacked. To the glory of God, I have served my country. It was a privilege that was given to me,” Madugu said.
Madugu said he had managed almost 28 matches, recording 19 wins, four defeats and four draws, but acknowledged that the defeat to South Africa came at a crucial stage.
He blamed Nigeria’s failure to convert its chances and defensive mistakes for the loss, noting that South Africa punished the errors made by the Falcons.
“We had chances, but conversion was another problem. We also made some little errors at the back, and they capitalised on that and got their goals,” he said.
Madugu also suggested that complacency and overconfidence may have contributed to the mistakes that proved costly against South Africa.
“It could be complacency, it could also be overconfidence, and then we end up making mistakes over unnecessary issues,” he said.
The coach further admitted that Nigeria had struggled to make the most of its opportunities throughout the campaign.
“We have not been clinical in front of goal. We create several chances, but we are very wasteful with the opportunities that come our way,” he said.
Madugu said Nigeria had enough opportunities in the first half to take control of the play-off but failed to convert them, while South Africa took advantage of its chances to secure the 2-1 victory.
