The Super Falcons cruised past the Copper Queens in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, with goals from Osinachi Ohale, Esther Okoronkwo, Chinwendu Ihezuo, Oluwatosin Demehin, and Folashade Ijamilusi sealing the emphatic victory.
Before the match at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca, many expected the Southern Africans to pose a serious challenge to the nine-time African champions but that wasn’t the case.
The praise continues to pour in for the Nigerian ladies, but coach Madugu insists his players will remain grounded, taking each game as it comes as they pursue a record-extending tenth African title.
"We are quite happy that we have crossed this hurdle. We had a good performance, the girls put up a good performance and we won," he told the media.
"Naturally, when you win games in the manner we won today, you are bound to be happy. So, we are very happy, we are excited about that, but we are not getting carried away by this because we still have a lot of work ahead of us.
"The scoreline might be flattering, but then, we came for a win and we knew that the players were capable of doing that.
"The players were quite motivated to make sure that the mission that we are struggling to make become a reality is kept alive.
"The spirit in the camp before the game was quite high. The mood in the camp was quite high. You needed to be around the girls to know that they were really determined to make sure that they got this out of the way."
Madugu also dismissed claims that his team approached the match with revenge in mind. In the 2022 edition, the Copper Queens had denied Nigeria a bronze medal with a 1-0 victory.
Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie conceded an own goal in the third-place match at Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca.
"For us, we didn't look at it from that perspective of a revenge mission," he continued.
"Rather, it was a game that we needed to win so that we can advance to the next stage of the competition.
"Yes, it seemed like a revenge because we lost out to them in the last edition at the third-place match. And (now) we have gotten one over them which is quite pleasing."
Although Nigeria topped their group, they faced heavy criticism for not scoring more goals. Finding the net five times in the quarter-final was a significant statement, and the coach explained what the team got right this time around.
"Like I kept saying in previous press conferences, you know, the strategy the opposition adopts also determines what you do," he added.
"In the previous games we played at the group stage, the opposition decided to just park the bus and play a low block and that made it a bit difficult for us to be able to play the kind of football that people expected.
"The girls did the best they could and they still created chances, but those conversions of those chances were a problem. And we kept emphasising that we are still work in progress.
"We're still looking at areas of weakness, particularly opportunities at set-pieces. We kept working on them and then finishing in front of goal. And (against Zamba) we are seeing the results."
Nigeria will face the winner of the clash between Senegal and reigning African champions South Africa for a spot in the final, scheduled for July 26 at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat.
