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‘Learn and respond’ – Former Eagles star calls for Super Falcons response after Malawi defeat
Former Nigeria international has urged the Super Falcons to learn from their shock 3-2 defeat to Malawi.
Former Nigerian international Friday Ekpo has urged the Super Falcons to treat their shocking defeat to Malawi as a valuable lesson and respond positively in their remaining matches at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The defending champions suffered a surprise 3-2 defeat to the tournament debutants in their Group C opener in Morocco on Tuesday.
Malawi stun defending champions
Malawi produced one of the biggest upsets in WAFCON history with an inspired display against the record African champions.
The Scorchers took the lead through Temwa Chawinga in the 73rd minute before captain Tabitha Chawinga doubled the advantage six minutes later.
Nigeria fought back when Rasheedat Ajibade converted a penalty deep into stoppage time to reduce the deficit.
However, as the Super Falcons committed players forward in search of an equaliser, Malawi struck again on the counterattack, with Temwa Chawinga grabbing her second goal of the night in the fifth minute of added time.
Substitute Uchenna Kanu scored moments later to make it 3-2, but it was too late to prevent a famous victory for the debutants.
Ekpo calls for positive response
Reacting to the result, Ekpo admitted he was disappointed by Nigeria’s performance but insisted the team must quickly move on and focus on the remaining group matches.
“It’s disappointing to know that the Super Falcons lost their opening game against Malawi. On paper, many people would have predicted that Nigeria would overcome Malawi, but that is not the case,” Ekpo told Completesports.com.
The former midfielder emphasised that the defeat should serve as a wake-up call rather than define Nigeria’s tournament.
“He added, I expect the team to learn from this defeat against Malawi and bounce back to winning ways in their next game.”
Despite the setback, Ekpo believes the Super Falcons still possess enough quality and experience to advance from Group C.
“I am still confident that the Super Falcons will qualify from the group despite their opening defeat,” he said.
The Super Falcons now turn their attention to a crucial Group C clash against Zambia, knowing another slip-up could seriously jeopardise both their hopes of defending the WAFCON title and qualifying for the knockout stage.
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