Malawi loss wake-up call – Madugu News

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Malawi loss wake-up call – Madugu

By Daily Sports Nigeria on July 30, 2026

Super Falcons head coach Justin Madugu has described Nigeria’s shock 3-2 defeat to Women’s Africa Cup of Nations debutants Malawi as a timely wake-up call, insisting criticism over his team selection and player positioning was inevitable after a loss, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Speaking at his post-match press conference, Madugu accepted responsibility for one of Nigeria’s most surprising defeats in WAFCON history, but rejected suggestions that deploying players outside their preferred positions had contributed to the result. One of the major talking points after the match was his decision to field Michelle Alozie at left-back, a call that drew criticism from supporters and pundits, though the coach maintained it was not responsible for Nigeria’s defensive lapses.

“When things like this happen, everybody has their opinion. Everybody is entitled to say whatever they say,” Madugu told reporters.

“If we had won, the comments people would be making would not be the same.”

The coach pointed to previous tournaments where similar adjustments had worked, recalling Ashleigh Plumptre’s performances at left-back despite it not being her natural position.

“When we played the last edition, and Ashleigh played at left full-back, she wasn’t a left full-back, but she did very well, and everybody appreciated her performances,” he said.

“We had some challenges in defence, and I think Michelle deserves to be commended because she gave everything and played very well. The mistake didn’t come from her position. It’s not her involvement in that area that caused the goals we conceded. She’s a good defender, and if we didn’t believe she could play there, we wouldn’t have selected her.”

Source Punch Ng

Posted July 30, 2026