Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu has expressed his disappointment with the team’s performance in the 1-0 victory over Botswana in their second group game at the 2024 WAFCON.
Nigeria booked a place in the quarter-finals of the competition thanks to a late goal from Chiwendu Ihezuo in the 89th minute.
The team struggled to break down their opponents, who adopted a defensive approach to frustrate the nine-time champions.
The Super Falcons had no shot on target in the first half and struggled to string passes together at times in a frustrating encounter for the team.
Madugu admitted that the team failed to live up to expectations in the clash, blaming complacency for the poor performance.
He said: “We were a bit complacent and we took things for granted and that accounted for the kind of game we had,” Madugu said in the post-match conference.
“Individually we didn’t put up a very good performance, we’re not happy about this. It was a tough game, highly competitive.
“Botswana were very spirited, they were determined to get a result.”
Madugu has called for improvement in their last group game against Algeria while hinting that he will make changes for the encounter.
He said: “It is always a work in progress. Even if we score 10 goals, there will still be things to improve.
“We’ll definitely make some changes in the last game against Algeria. Not because we’re fielding a weaker team — all our players are capable — but because we need to manage the squad carefully, knowing we have up to six games to play in this tournament.
“It’s important to rest some players and give others opportunities.”
The Super Falcons will take on Algeria in their last Group B game on Sunday, and they need a point from the clash to finish top of the group.
Nigeria have six points from two matches while Algeria are in second with four points from the same number of matches.
