Ekpo Urges Super Falcons to Learn from Malawi Defeat
Former Nigerian international Friday Ekpo has urged the Super Falcons to use their disappointing defeat to Malawi as motivation as they seek to keep their 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations campaign alive, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
The defending champions suffered a shock 3-2 defeat to tournament debutants Malawi in their Group C opener on Tuesday, leaving their hopes of reaching the knockout stage hanging in the balance.
Malawi took control of the contest in the second half, with Temwa Chawinga opening the scoring in the 73rd minute before her sister, Tabitha Chawinga, doubled the advantage six minutes later.
Nigeria mounted a late comeback after captain Rasheedat Ajibade converted a penalty in the second minute of stoppage time to reduce the deficit.
However, Malawi quickly restored their two-goal lead when Temwa Chawinga completed her brace in the fifth minute of added time.
Substitute Uchenna Kanu pulled another goal back for the Super Falcons deep into stoppage time, but the Nigerians were unable to find an equaliser as Malawi held on to record one of the biggest upsets in WAFCON history.
Reacting to the result, Ekpo admitted he was disappointed by the performance but remains optimistic that the Super Falcons can recover and progress from the group.
"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.
"I expect the team to learn from this defeat against Malawi and bounce back to winning ways in their next game. I am still confident that the Super Falcons will qualify from the group despite their opening defeat."
Nigeria must now secure a positive result in their next Group C fixture to revive their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals, while Malawi's historic victory has significantly strengthened the debutants' chances of advancing to the knockout stage.
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