Nigeria’s Super Falcons responded in the best possible way after their disappointing defeat to Malawi, beating Egypt 6-2 to secure a place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), Footynaija reports.
The Group C clash was played at Stade Larbi Zaouli on Wednesday, with Nigeria knowing only a convincing performance would keep their hopes of winning an 11th African title alive. Egypt had already been knocked out before kick-off, but they still made the Super Falcons work hard for the victory.
Nigeria took the lead in the 21st minute when Asisat Oshoala calmly converted a penalty after a foul inside the box. However, the experienced forward was forced off with an injury before halftime, and Gift Monday replaced her.
The substitution proved to be a blessing for Nigeria. Just four minutes after coming on, Monday finished from close range after a fine pass from Rinsola Babajide to make it 2-0. Egypt refused to give up and reduced the deficit in first-half stoppage time when Nadine Ghazi scored from the penalty spot after Michelle Alozie brought down an Egyptian attacker.
The Super Falcons quickly regained control after the break. Substitute Uchenna Kanu needed only moments to make an impact, scoring Nigeria’s third goal in the 57th minute from another excellent Babajide assist. Christy Ucheibe then added a fourth also from the penalty spot with 10 minutes remaining to put the result beyond doubt.
Ghazi grabbed her second goal of the match for Egypt in the 84th minute to make it 4-2, but Nigeria had the final say. Captain Rasheedat Ajibade converted another penalty deep into stoppage time before the PSG midfielder assisted substitute Joy Omewa to complete an impressive 6-2 victory.
The result was enough to send Nigeria into the knockout stage despite their earlier setback against Malawi.
Elsewhere, Zambia defeated Malawi 2-1 in the other Group C fixture. Barbra Banda gave Zambia an early lead before Prisca Chilufya doubled the advantage before halftime. Malawi pulled one back in the second half, and that goal proved priceless.
Although Nigeria, Malawi and Zambia all finished on six points, CAF’s head-to-head tiebreak rules decided the final standings.
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Malawi’s narrow defeat to Zambia, combined with their earlier victory over Nigeria, helped them edge Zambia in the mini-league standings and reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their history. Zambia’s victory was therefore not enough, as the Copper Queens were eliminated despite ending the group with the same number of points as the two teams that advanced.
