Nigeria’s Super Falcons pulled off one of the most memorable comebacks in Women’s Africa Cup of Nations history, rallying from two goals down to defeat hosts Morocco 3–2 and clinch their record-extending tenth WAFCON title on Saturday night in Rabat, Footynaija.com reports.
The collapse in the first half looked to have handed Morocco their maiden continental title. But Nigeria, guided by interim head coach Justin Madugu, stunned the home fans at the Stade Olympique de Rabat with a second-half display that silenced the crowd and sealed a perfect end to their so-called “Mission X”.
The Falcons’ comeback, however, did not happen by accident. In his post-match comments, Coach Justin Madugu revealed what went on in the dressing room during the break.
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“We knew we could do it… When we were two goals down, we kept encouraging the players not to lose their self-belief. If they did not have mental resilience, they would have given up,” Madugu, who emerged the coach of the tournament, said after the match, per Legit.ng.
“We did a lot of talking at halftime… We had a game plan, but what we wanted to avoid led to the two goals, and we had to make the changes we made.”
This latest win takes Nigeria’s WAFCON title haul to ten out of the thirteen editions held since 1998, reaffirming their status as Africa’s most dominant women’s football nation. Only Equatorial Guinea (two titles) and South Africa (one title) have managed to break Nigeria’s grip on the trophy.
For Justin Madugu, who took charge in September 2024 following the departure of American coach Randy Waldrum, the title is an endorsement of local coaching talent. Under his watch, Nigeria finished the tournament unbeaten, conceding only one goal until the final, and showing tactical flexibility with bold rotation decisions, including benching star names and trusting debutants.
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