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Nigeria’s Super Falcons got their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign back on track with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Zambia on Saturday in Morocco, Footynaija reports.
After losing 3-2 to Malawi in their opening Group C game, the defending champions needed a win to stay in the race for a place in the quarterfinals.
The only goal of the match came in the eighth minute when experienced striker Asisat Oshoala found the back of the net to give Nigeria an early lead. It was the perfect response from the Super Falcons, who came into the game under pressure after their surprise defeat in the tournament opener.
Nigeria’s task became much harder before halftime when defender Oluwatosin Demehin was shown a straight red card in the 39th minute after a VAR review. Earlier, she had received a yellow card, but that booking was cancelled because the Zambian attack was ruled offside.
Despite being reduced to 10 players for more than 50 minutes, the Super Falcons produced a disciplined defensive display. They frustrated Zambia throughout the second half and kept dangerous forward Barbra Banda quiet as they protected their slim advantage until the final whistle.
The result puts Nigeria’s title defence back on track and keeps their hopes of reaching the knockout stage firmly alive. However, they will be without Demehin for their final Group C match against Egypt because of suspension.
Zambia, who began the tournament with an impressive 6-0 victory over Egypt, will now face Malawi in their final group match. With only the top two teams advancing to the quarterfinals, everything will still be decided on the final day of Group C action on August 5.
