Three days after a shock 1-0 defeat, the Super Falcons went back to Yaoundé and dominated. Ihezuo, Babajide, and Alozie sent a message to every team at WAFCON 2026.
Super Falcons Finish WAFCON Prep With a Statement
The Super Falcons walked into the Military Stadium in Yaoundé on Tuesday knowing exactly what was at stake. Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Cameroon had left a sour taste, the kind of result that invites doubt just two weeks before a major tournament. They responded the only way that matters: on the pitch.
Nigeria 3-1 Cameroon. And it wasn’t even that close.
Head Coach Justin Madugu made seven changes to the side beaten at the weekend, reshaping his midfield to press higher and close central channels. Cameroon scored again in the seventh minute, just as they had on Saturday. History, it seemed, was threatening to repeat itself.
It didn’t. Not even close.
How Nigeria Turned It Around
Chinwendu Ihezuo pulled Nigeria level in the 32nd minute, rising above her marker to power home a header from Rinsola Babajide’s cross. The two players had combined beautifully, and it visibly settled the team. Nigeria was playing with tempo now.
Then came the goal that flipped the match completely. In the 43rd minute, Babajide reacted quickest in a crowded penalty area to poke Nigeria ahead just before half-time. The winger, who featured on this site earlier this week in a profile on her decision to represent Nigeria over England, is proving her value as WAFCON approaches. That goal, in particular, showed her instincts in the box.
Nigeria carried that composure into the second half. Madugu’s reshaped midfield kept Cameroon at arm’s length, restricting them to speculative efforts from distance. The game was no longer in doubt.
Michelle Alozie put the final seal on the performance in the 64th minute. Captain Rasheedat Ajibade delivered a precise cross from the right, and Alozie met it with a commanding diving header. 3-1. Game over.
Goals: Ihezuo (32′), Babajide (43′), Alozie (64′) | Cameroon (7′)
Venue: Military Stadium, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Competition: Pre-WAFCON 2026 International Friendly (Match 2 of 2)
Series result: Split 1-1 (Cameroon won Leg 1, Nigeria won Leg 2)
The Goalscorers Up Close
Chinwendu Ihezuo is one of the Super Falcons’ most reliable performers. The forward’s header showed the kind of aerial quality Nigeria will need in Morocco, where set pieces often decide knockout rounds. Her goal was technically excellent, a clean connection from a cross delivered under pressure.
Rinsola Babajide had a direct hand in two of Nigeria’s three goals, providing the assist for the first and scoring the second herself. Her decision to commit to Nigerian football, after being eligible to represent England, was always going to need vindication on the big stage. Performances like Tuesday’s are exactly that vindication.
Michelle Alozie scored the goal that killed the game. The Houston Dash defender, who has developed into one of the most dynamic fullbacks in African women’s football, arrived late at the back post to head Ajibade’s cross beyond the Cameroon goalkeeper. It was a forward’s goal from a player who wears the number 22.
What This Means for WAFCON 2026
Nigeria is a six-time WAFCON champion, and they arrive in Morocco as one of the favourites. But Saturday’s loss had complicated the narrative ahead of the tournament. Tuesday’s response answered those questions firmly.
What Madugu got right on Tuesday was the tactical adjustment. Pressing higher, closing central channels, and using Babajide’s directness to stretch Cameroon’s defensive shape. These are details that will matter in the knockout rounds.
The seven-goal two-legged warm-up series against a strong Cameroon side, four conceded and three scored, tells you Nigeria’s attack is sharp, but the defence will need to be more disciplined. That’s a conversation Madugu will be having in training before March 17.
Analysis: Ready for Morocco?
The Saturday loss set off alarm bells. After the defeat to Cameroon in the first friendly, FootballInNigeria.com.ng reported the Falcons returning to training with a renewed focus. Tuesday showed that focus paid off in 90 minutes of convincing football.
But the honest assessment is this: Nigeria looked vulnerable in both matches at the back. Conceding early goals in two consecutive games against the same opponent suggests a pattern. Morocco, South Africa, and Zambia will all be watching that tape. The good news is that Nigeria’s attacking talent is undeniable. Ajibade, Babajide, Alozie, and Ihezuo can hurt any defence on the continent. The question Madugu needs to answer before the tournament starts is not whether they can score. It’s whether they can stop leaking early goals.
If they fix that, Nigeria is winning WAFCON 2026.
WAFCON 2026: The Road Ahead
The 14th edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on March 17 in Morocco, running through to the final on April 3, 2026. Nigeria will be among the front-runners in a tournament they’ve dominated historically, with ten WAFCON titles to their name.
The Super Falcons’ WAFCON campaign is one of the biggest events in African women’s football this year. For fans building accumulators around the tournament’s biggest matches, the Bet9ja YOHAIG promotion code covers WAFCON fixtures with enhanced odds, making it a strong option for multi-match wagers across the group stage and knockout rounds.
📌 Did You Know?
- Nigeria has won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations a record 10 times, more than any other nation in the history of the tournament, making them the most successful team in WAFCON history.
- Michelle Alozie plays her club football for Houston Dash in the NWSL (USA), making her one of several Super Falcons players based in the American league who were called up for the Cameroon friendlies.
- Rinsola Babajide was born in London and was eligible to represent England through her upbringing, before making the decision to commit to Nigeria. She now wears the Super Falcons shirt as one of the team’s key attacking players.
- Coach Justin Madugu made seven changes between the first and second Cameroon friendlies, suggesting he used the two-game series as much for squad rotation and fitness assessment as for tactical preparation.
- WAFCON 2026 in Morocco is the first edition of the tournament to be held in the country that hosted the 2025 AFCON. Morocco is also one of the co-hosts and favourites, making Nigeria’s potential group-stage clash with them a headline fixture.
- Chinwendu Ihezuo’s header on Tuesday was the kind of aerial goal that has been a hallmark of Super Falcons attackers at previous WAFCON editions. Nigeria scored three headed goals in their run to the 2025 WAFCON title.
- The Super Falcons conceded in the 7th minute in both Cameroon friendlies, an early-goal vulnerability that coach Madugu will be working to address in the final days of preparation before the tournament begins on March 17.
