Super Falcons head coach Justin Madugu says Nigeria will not leave their WAFCON qualification hopes to chance when they face Egypt in their final Group C game, with the defending champions needing a result to secure their place in the quarter-finals, Footynaija.com reports.
Nigeria will meet the North Africans at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat on Wednesday night after collecting three points from their first two matches.
The Super Falcons opened their title defence with a shock 3-2 defeat to Malawi before responding with a 1-0 win over Zambia. That victory came after Nigeria played much of the match with 10 players, giving Madugu’s side an important lift before the final group game.
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The situation in Group C means there is still plenty to play for. Malawi have already put themselves in a strong position, while Nigeria, Zambia and Egypt have had very different starts to the tournament.
Egypt enter the meeting with Nigeria after suffering a heavy defeat to Zambia in their opening match and then losing again to Malawi. Nigeria therefore know that their opponents have little room for another setback.
Madugu, however, is not interested in leaving Nigeria’s fate in the hands of another result.
Madugu wants the Super Falcons to decide their own fate
“We have done all the various permutations of what can get us through, and we know exactly which of the permutations can take us through,” Madugu said at his pre-match press conference.
“We want to have our fate in our hands and not leave it for anybody to decide for us. So, we are going straight for what we know will put us through and that we are aware of.”
Reports from CAF have also highlighted the pressure surrounding the final round of Group C matches, with Nigeria needing to finish among the teams that advance to the knockout stage.
For Madugu, the approach is simple. Nigeria want to win rather than spend the final minutes of the group stage watching another result.
“No team prepares to lose a game. All we are going out for is to win the game and get a result that will qualify us to the next stage of the competition,” he added.
The Super Falcons will kick off against Egypt at 9pm Nigerian time in Rabat, knowing that another victory would keep their defence of the WAFCON title firmly on course.
