Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu has vowed that the nine-time African champions will unleash their firepower once again at the ongoing 2024 WAFCON, as they face defending champions South Africa in the semi-finals on Tuesday (today), Akelicious reports.
Nigeria and South Africa clash again at the continental showpiece with the reigning champions coming into the game with a 15-game unbeaten run which dates back to 2016.
Since suffering back-to-back defeats to Nigeria and Cameroon in the semi-final and third-place playoff of the 2016 WAFCON, South Africa have remained unbeaten in 15 WAFCON matches. Over the course of three editions, they have recorded eight wins and seven draws.
Ahead of today’s clash, Madugu is aware of South Africa’s record and is confident that the Falcons can bring it to an end.
“Yes, South Africa have not lost a game within regulation time since 2016. Like we said, records are meant to be broken. No matter how long it takes, one day it will be broken, and we are hoping that by Tuesday, by the grace of God, that record will no longer exist,” Madugu said during the pre-match interview.
Nigeria have dominated the historical head-to-head record, winning eight of their previous 11 WAFCON encounters against South Africa and outscoring Banyana Banyana 16-5. However, the reigning champions are no longer the underdogs they once were, having memorably beaten Nigeria in the group stage of the 2022 edition before lifting their first WAFCON title.
Madugu also acknowledged the evolution of Desire Ellis’s side while showing respect for their achievements.
“They have a very good team. For them to have won all their games to get them to where they are, obviously, we must appreciate and respect what they have done. So, we are not taking that for granted,” Madugu said.
“You know football games can be very deceiving sometimes. You don’t judge teams based on what you see, particularly in their last game. But the prestige is equally there, so we are not looking at them as underdogs. They will be favourites as defending champions. They took the crown from us, and we want to do the same.”
Ellis, meanwhile, drew confidence from her team’s previous success against Nigeria.
“We know what this match means. We know what it takes to beat Nigeria,” Ellis was quoted by CAF Online.
The South African coach dismissed suggestions that her players needed extra motivation for the encounter.
“I don’t think that you need to communicate anything. It’s like a derby where you know who you’re up against. Players know the strength of Nigeria. So I don’t think any motivation is needed. The motivation is obviously the semi-final, but I don’t think it needs motivation because of the rivalry that there is.”
