Super Falcons head coach Justine Madugu has defended Chiamaka Nnadozie following her costly error in Nigeria’s 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Cameroon, but admits the technical crew could consider other goalkeeping options ahead of Thursday’s crucial 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup play-off against South Africa, NigeriaSoccernet.com reports.
Nnadozie has faced criticism throughout the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after her positioning was questioned in some of the goals Nigeria conceded during the tournament.
The goalkeeper came under scrutiny in the Super Falcons’ 3-2 defeat to Malawi in their opening group match, before responding with a clean sheet in the 1-0 victory over Zambia. She then conceded twice as Nigeria defeated Egypt 6-2 to secure their place in the quarter-finals.
Nnadozie was again criticised against Cameroon after Myriam Maéva Nyadjou’s superb free-kick found the net, with the Nigerian goalkeeper unable to cover the far side of her goal.
Despite the setback, Madugu was quick to defend the three-time CAF Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year, insisting that one mistake should not define her quality.
“Chiamaka has been a wonderful goalkeeper, not just for the national team, but also for her club. Anyone can make mistakes at any time. These mistakes can be costly, as it has been for us today, but that’s not to say she’s a bad goalkeeper,” Madugu said after the match.
However, the coach confirmed that the technical crew would conduct a full assessment of the squad before deciding on their lineup for the South Africa clash.
Nigeria have alternatives available, including Nigeria Women’s Football League goalkeeper of the year Fatima Oloko and Portsmouth goalkeeper Comfort Erhabor, who impressed during the scouting process.
Madugu stressed that every position would be reviewed as the team prepares for the decisive encounter.
“It’s natural that when things like this happen, we have to do an overall assessment of the team, what went wrong, what we did well, where did we get it wrong,” he said.
“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 about exploring other players.”
Nigeria’s defeat to Cameroon brought an unwanted piece of history, as the Super Falcons failed to reach the WAFCON semi-finals for the first time.
The result also denied the 10-time African champions one of the continent’s four automatic qualification spots for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Nigeria must now defeat South Africa in Casablanca on Thursday to advance to the FIFA inter-confederation play-offs, which will be held in November and December and provide another opportunity to secure a place at the World Cup.