Nigeria women’s national team head coach Justine Madugu guided the Super Falcons into the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after the defending champions produced a dominant 6-2 victory over Egypt at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday, 5 August.
Super Falcons secure dominant 6-2 Egypt win after entering the decisive Group C fixture under pressure following a surprise opening defeat to Malawi and a narrow victory over Zambia.
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The emphatic result completed a remarkable turnaround and kept Nigeria’s pursuit of a record extending 11th continental crown firmly on course.
Captain Asisat Oshoala opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 21st minute before Gift Monday doubled Nigeria’s advantage in first half stoppage time after a well weighted pass from Rinsola Babajide.
Egypt responded moments later when Nadine Ghazi converted from the penalty spot to reduce the deficit before the interval.
Nigeria reasserted complete control after the restart with a vibrant attacking display. Babajide supplied her second assist of the evening for Uchenna Kanu to make it 3-1 before Christy Ucheibe calmly converted another penalty in the 81st minute.
Ghazi briefly gave Egypt hope with her second goal, but Rasheedat Ajibade restored Nigeria’s cushion from the spot before setting up Joy Omewa, who completed the scoring deep into stoppage time.
Babajide’s creativity, Ajibade’s leadership and Oshoala’s composure from the penalty spot stood out in what was comfortably Nigeria’s most convincing performance of the tournament.
The attacking fluency offered an encouraging response after criticism that followed the opening defeat to tournament debutants Malawi.
Speaking before the tournament, Justine Madugu had acknowledged that defending the continental title would be “far more demanding” than the previous campaign because every opponent would be determined to dethrone the champions.
The performance against Egypt suggested Nigeria had found the attacking rhythm required for the knockout rounds.
Earlier in the competition, Madugu had also stressed that there was “always room for improvement” despite positive results during Nigeria’s preparations, a message that appeared to resonate after the team’s mixed start in Morocco.
Although Nigeria finished the group stage level on six points with both Malawi and Zambia, the Scorchers claimed top spot on the head to head tiebreak criteria after defeating Zambia in the decisive group standings.
Zambia were eliminated despite also finishing on six points, while Egypt exited without a point after conceding 15 goals across three matches.
Nigeria arrived in Morocco as the reigning African champions after completing the celebrated “Mission X” campaign to win a record 10th WAFCON title.
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The latest victory ensures Madugu’s side remain on course to defend that crown and strengthen the Super Falcons’ long standing dominance in African women’s football.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
