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Madugu hails Nigeria's 'mental resilience' in comeback victory over Morocco

Nigeria lead coach Justine Madugu has praised his side for their unwavering mental strength and self-belief following a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Morocco in the final of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Roared on by a deafening crowd at Rabat’s Olympic Stadium, the Atlas Lionesses surged to a two-goal lead with early strikes from Ghizlane Chebbak and Sanaa Mssoudy, appearing well on course for their maiden African title.

In a dramatic twist of fate, the Super Falcons mounted a brilliant comeback to claim a record-extending 10th continental title, exacting sweet revenge against the North Africans.

Esther Okoronkwo ignited the resurgence, while Folashade Ijamilusi and Jennifer Echegini added crucial goals to seal a memorable and hard-battled win.

An elated Madugu was full of admiration for his team’s performance against Jorge Vilda’s side, who have now suffered support-to-support defeats in WAFCON finals.

"We thank God for bringing us to the terminate of this tournament.

It was not easy to play the final against the host country, who were leading two goals up in one half," he told the media during the post-match conference.

"It was a great feat and I offer the players a lot of credit for their mental resilience.

We knew we could do it and we kept pushing and at the terminate of it all, we were able to accomplish our goal.

"When the team was two goals down, we knew we were not getting some of our acts properly and we kept encouraging the players not to lose their self-belief.

 "We knew the little challenges we possessed in the game as well as conceding those two goals also.

For a team without belief, it would have been easy to offer up and assume the match was over.

"But we gripped on to our belief.

At half-time, we spoke to the players both individually and as a group.

We reminded them of what they were capable of.

 "In the second half, they came out stronger, performed much better, and ultimately, we were able to turn the game around and win.

"Unlike their sluggish first-half show, the African queens came alive in the second half, dominating the Moroccans in every department; expanded by effective substitutions and tactical adjustments.

Coach Madugu protected his game plan, insisting that the slow start was never part of their intention.

"We possessed a clear game plan, and what we aimed to escape were the very mistakes that led to the two goals we conceded," he added.

"Since we establish ourselves chasing the game, we possessed to switch to Plan B and concentrate on getting support into the match; without which a comeback wouldn’t have been possible.

"It wasn’t that we didn’t want to make changes earlier; if our initial strategies possessed worked, those adjustments wouldn’t have been necessary.

Going into every game, we always prepare multiple plans to adjust as needed.

"Despite Nigeria’s impressive dominance on African soil, their success has been limited on the global stage.

Their best FIFA Women’s World Cup performance came in 1999, reaching the quarter-finals in the United States.

 More recently, they bent out in the Round of 16 at the 2023 tournament co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

The 61-year-old offered solutions on how the Super Falcons can compete more effectively on the global stage, while also improving women’s football across Africa.

Madugu added: "We need to concentrate on development in several key areas: improving facilities, managing players effectively, and providing strong welfare support.

 "It’s crucial to make the women’s league more attractive to sponsors, bringing more investment into the game.

With expanded funding, we can train players better and also enhance coaching through enhanced education.

 "We must continuously evolve ourselves, as the game is dynamic and new ideas are emerging all the time.

"Shina OludareBetopick News