Super Falcons: 4 stats that show just how embarrassing the loss to Malawi was

Super Falcons’s WAFCON title defence has been thrown into turmoil after a historic 3-2 defeat to debutants Malawi, leaving them facing unprecedented pressure to avoid an early exit and keep their World Cup hopes alive.

Nigerian football is enduring a very uncomfortable period, from AFCON finals disappointments to failed back-to-back World Cup qualifications, but what fans wouldn’t have anticipated was the Super Falcons losing to debutant Malawi in the WAFCON opener.

A lot is now at stake for the record WAFCON winners, aside from the risk of group elimination at the ongoing tournament in Morocco, which would be unprecedented for a team that has always reached the semi-finals; they could also miss out on the next World Cup.

It sounds far-fetched for a country that has won 10 of the 13 WAFCON editions and headed into this as the defending champions. However, with Zambia still to come and the best loser rule no longer in use, the chances of a historic low couldn’t be higher for the Super Falcons.

Justine Madugu has called the defeat a wake-up call, but reality is that it could become very pricey come the end of the group campaign, especially with second best-ranked team in the group, Zambia already thrashed Egypt 6-0 earlier on Tuesday.

How it Happened in Nigeria 2-3 Malawi

For just the first time in history, Super Falcons of Nigeria have lost to a team marking their debut at the Women’s African Cup of Nations after falling to Malawi in a five-goal thriller in Rabat on Tuesday night.

The 10-time winners may have been caught unawares, having underrated their opponent in the build-up, but now face a mountain task to make it out of the group stages, with a must-win clash against red-hot Zambia to come.

Chawinga sisters orchestrated the fall of the giants, scoring all three goals for The Scorchers between them on a historic night, leaving the team well placed to reach the knockout stages having beaten the top-ranked team in the group.

Despite a late fightback attempt, Uchenna Kanu’s goal came a little too late after Temwa added her second of the match to restore the COSAFA nation’s two-goal cushion after Rashidat Ajibade had pulled one back from the spot.

In the wake of the upset, we take a look at the underlying numbers and statistics behind a result that leaves the Super Falcons in no man’s land in a fixture they own, and have set a standard where everyone expects them to always win.

4 Embarrassing stats from Nigeria 2-3 Malawi

1. First time conceding three

Never in the history of the Women’s African Cup of Nations has the Super Falcons of Nigeria conceded three goals in one match before the humiliating loss to Malawi.

In fact, the West African team barely concedes multiple goals in a single game, and only six times in the previous 13 editions have they conceded more than two goals in an entire tournament – only twice have they conceded more than three, and have never conceded more than four.

The Chawinga sisters’ masterclass put their astonishing defensive record in jeopardy with the tougher games still to come, especially if they survive the group stages and move to the company of the heavyweights in the knockouts.

2. Fourth time losing opening games

Nigeria has barely lost in the Women’s African Cup of Nations, especially in the group stages, where they have lost just three of 39 games since the first edition in 1998 till the previous one in Morocco 2024.

South Africa, in 2018 and 2022, and Ghana much earlier in 2002 are the only teams to win a group stage game against the 10-time champions, but the good omen is that they’ve gone all the way to win the title on the first two occasions, while they finished fourth in 2022.

3. First time losing to a debutant

Malawi have become the first debutant to beat Nigeria in the history of the Women’s African Cup of Nations, and it is no coincidence that the fans have started to ask questions if the team became too overconfident in underrating their opponent.

4. A look at the opponent

This is what makes the defeat so much more embarrassing. It’s not just that Malawi are newbies in the tournament; they haven’t won a game in almost a year since a 3-0 victory over Lesotho at the end of August last year.

In the seven games that have followed, they’ve comfortably lost five and managed just two draws. Losing is not just the issue, but the level of team that has beaten the Super Falcons left a lot to be desired.

The Scorchers are the least ranked team in Group C, and the Super Falcons are expected to face tougher challenges in their upcoming games. Disaster may have struck already, and the impact may become obvious later.

The difficult road ahead

The Super Falcons now head into a must-win second group game against Zambia on Saturday, knowing any other result could decide their fate before the final group game.

Nigeria defeated The Copper Queens 5-0 in their last meeting at the quarter-finals of the last edition on their way to winning their tenth title, but will now be aware that a lot has changed at both camps since last year.

Desperation has started to set in, but for their own good, the team will hope anxiety does not affect their performance, because now they are on thin ice, and pressure is no good to whatever chance they have left of saving their faces.