Madugu hints at rotation after Nnadozie errors
August 11, 2026 1:52 am
Nnadozie and others. Photo: Super Falcons
Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu has defended goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie after her error in Nigeria’s quarter-final defeat by Cameroon, but admitted he could consider other options ahead of their crucial 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup play-off against South Africa on Thursday, The PUNCH reports.
Nnadozie has come under criticism following a difficult WAFCON campaign, with her positioning blamed for some of the goals Nigeria conceded.
The goalkeeper was criticised after the Falcons’ 3-2 defeat by Malawi in their opening group game, when her positioning appeared to contribute to all three goals. She subsequently kept a clean sheet in the 1-0 win over Zambia before conceding twice in Nigeria’s 6-2 victory over Egypt in their final group game.
She was again criticised in Sunday’s quarter-final against Cameroon after failing to cover the other side of the goal as Myriam Maéva Nyadjou’s stunning free-kick found the net to give Cameroon a 1-0 victory.
However, Madugu insisted that the mistakes of the three-time CAF Women’s Goalkeeper of The Year Award winner should not overshadow her quality as a goalkeeper.
“Chiamaka has been a wonderful goalkeeper, not just for the national team, but also for her club. Anyone can make mistakes at any time. These mistakes can be costly, as it has been for us today, but that’s not to say she’s a bad goalkeeper,” the coach said after the game.
Options available for Madugu on the bench include Nigeria Women’s Football League best goalkeeper Fatima Oloko and Portsmouth keeper Comfort Erhabor, who had impressed while being scouted.
While offering his goalkeeper his support, Madugu acknowledged that the technical crew would assess all available options before the Falcons face South Africa.
“It’s natural that when things like this happen, we have to do an overall assessment of the team — what went wrong, what we did well, where did we get it wrong,” Madugu said during his post-match interview.
“We have to do an overall assessment and see what we can do in the shortest possible time before the next game against South Africa.
“There’s nothing bad about exploring other players.”
Nigeria’s defeat by Cameroon saw the Falcons suffer their worst-ever finish at the WAFCON, as they failed to reach the semi-finals of the competition for the first time in its history.
The result also means the 10-time African champions missed out on one of Africa’s four automatic qualification places for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The Falcons must now beat South Africa in Casablanca on Thursday to advance to FIFA’s inter-confederation play-offs, scheduled for November and December, where they will have another route to the World Cup.
Abiodun, who reports Sports for PUNCH, covers different tiers of the Nigerian football league, the national teams, as well as cricket, in the last six years
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