Nigeria’s Super Falcons revived their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, (WAFCON) campaign on Saturday with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Zambia in Rabat, Morocco, thanks to an early strike from Asisat Oshoala.
Heading into the encounter, Nigeria desperately needed a positive result after suffering defeat to Malawi in their opening Group B fixture.
The narrow victory earned the nine-time African champions their first three points of the tournament and reignited their hopes of progressing to the knockout stage.
Oshoala gave Nigeria the perfect start, finding the back of the net in the eighth minute after capitalising on an attacking move that caught the Zambian defence off guard.
The Super Falcons looked comfortable for much of the opening half but were dealt a major setback late before the break when defender Oluwatosin Demehin was shown a straight red card following a VAR review, reducing Nigeria to 10 players.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Super Falcons produced a disciplined defensive display in the second half, frustrating Zambia’s repeated attempts to find an equaliser.
Coach Justin Madugu introduced fresh legs as Chinwendu Ihezuo replaced Oshoala in the 68th minute, while Esther Okoronkwo came on for Uchenna Kanu with 10 minutes remaining to help Nigeria see out the contest. Midfielder Jennifer Echegini was booked late in the game as Zambia piled on the pressure, but Nigeria held firm through six minutes of added time to secure all three points.
The result leaves the Super Falcons with three points from two matches and sets up a crucial final group game against Egypt, where victory could secure a place in the quarter-finals.
For Zambia, the defeat leaves qualification hanging in the balance ahead of their final group fixture.
