Nigeria’s senior women’s team head coach Justine Madugu has labeled Nigeria’s upcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) quarter-final against Cameroon as a decisive, must-win fixture
The defending champions clinched their spot in the knockout stage following a dominant 6-2 triumph over Egypt at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat on Wednesday night.
Nigeria now turns their focus to Sunday’s showdown with the Indomitable Lionesses in Casablanca, where both a semi-final spot and direct qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil are on the line.
Speaking after the victory over Egypt, Madugu emphasized that his squad will treat the clash with the highest level of concentration.
“It’s a final for us. We won’t take it for granted,” Madugu stated.
Reflecting on their tournament journey so far, the manager acknowledged the setback of their opening-match loss to Malawi, which left the team with no margin for error.
“We put ourselves in a very difficult position, but thank God we managed to get out of it,” he added. “The competition is just starting for us.”
Both side met in Cameroon twice in an international friendly match which they both won in preparation for this tournament.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.
In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
