10-woman Falcons secure hard-fought win against Copper Queens
Nigeria revived their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title defence with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Zambia in Rabat on Saturday, bouncing back from their opening defeat to Malawi with 10 women on the pitch for most of the contest, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The ten-time African champions made the perfect start when veteran forward Asisat Oshoala scored the decisive goal in the eighth minute to hand Nigeria an early lead, boosting their hopes of reaching the knockout stages.
Nigeria’s task grew significantly more difficult when defender Oluwatosin Demehin was shown a straight red card for a foul on Zambia captain Barbra Banda, reducing the Super Falcons to 10 players.
Despite playing the entire second half a woman down, Justine Madugu’s side produced a disciplined defensive display to withstand Zambia’s relentless attacks, with goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie and Nigeria’s resolute defence standing firm to preserve the narrow advantage and secure all three points.
The victory marked a timely response from the Super Falcons following their shock 3-2 opening defeat to debutants Malawi and their coach’s insistence that his side were ready to bounce back.
Nigeria will now turn their attention to their final Group C match against Egypt, who are yet to earn a point after losing their opening two matches, on Wednesday, where another positive result could secure qualification for the knockout stage as the defending champions continue their pursuit of a record-extending 11th WAFCON title.
