Super Falcons coach considers goalkeeper change ahead of South Africa clash

Super Falcons head coach Justine Madugu has opened the door to a possible change in goal for Nigeria's World Cup play-in clash against South Africa following Chiamaka Nnadozie's costly error in the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final.

Nigeria's hopes of defending their continental crown were ended by a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca on Sunday.

The decisive moment arrived in the 19th minute, when Maeva Nyadjou's free-kick found its way into the Nigerian net after Nnadozie failed to keep it out.

The mistake proved particularly costly because Nigeria were unable to find an equaliser despite creating opportunities throughout the game.

With Nigeria now facing South Africa in a decisive play-in fixture on Thursday, Madugu has admitted that changes could be made to his starting XI.

The goalkeeper position is among the areas being assessed by the Nigerian coaching staff.

Madugu said the entire team must be reviewed after the disappointing Cameroon result.

“It’s natural that when things like this happen, we have to do an overall assessment of the team,” Madugu told ESPN.

The coach explained that the technical staff is examining both the positives and negatives from the quarter-final before making decisions for the next match.

He added, “What went wrong, what we did well, where did we get it wrong. We have to do an overall assessment and see what we can do in the shortest possible time before the next game against South Africa. There’s nothing bad in exploring other players.”

Nigeria had entered the quarter-final hoping to continue their pursuit of an 11th WAFCON title, but Nyadjou's free-kick gave Cameroon an early advantage.

Nigeria's attention has immediately shifted toward Thursday's play-in match against South Africa.

The fixture carries enormous importance because the winner will continue along the qualification route for the 2027 Women's World Cup, while defeat would leave the Super Falcons facing the prospect of missing the global tournament.