₦airaland Forum

Schemerkhiz:
Madugu 💯

Ijamilusi is one player who have played for Nigeria from U17, U20 down to the SuperFalcons…

At some point she was an Attacking Midfielder/Winger at the youth level until a major knee injury halted her career progress for over a year or so..

She then got back on her feet and started shining again in the NWPL for FC Robo, then move to Edo Queens before the China move..

At some point she was better than what am seeing right now, let’s just say she hasn’t been able to hit her prime yet..

I will say the same for Peace Efih.. another solid Attacking midfielder/Wide Midfielder.

Correct. I remember Ijamilusi as a major winger at the U20 level then.

Schemerkhiz:
Madugu 💯

Ijamilusi is one player who have played for Nigeria from U17, U20 down to the SuperFalcons…

At some point she was an Attacking Midfielder/Winger at the youth level until a major knee injury halted her career progress for over a year or so..

She then got back on her feet and started shining again in the NWPL for FC Robo, then move to Edo Queens before the China move..

At some point she was better than what am seeing right now, let’s just say she hasn’t been able to hit her prime yet..

I will say the same for Peace Efih.. another solid Attacking midfielder/Wide Midfielder.

For me Peace was better than Ajibade back then. She just didn't get the opportunities.

mostob:
But it is not going to be easy. National team is not the same as club. At the club, the players train almost 4 times a week so it's easier for the coach to teach them his philosophy.

Whereas for national team, it's a smash and grab something. 3 days training is not enough for a coach to bring his philosophy to the team. Maybe it would have been easier if coaches spend 10+ years with a national team. Emerse Fae of Ivory Coast came in like 4 years ago, he has resigned now and another coach will come in.

So how does this really work?
That's why it seems I'm supporting Madugu. He came in and led the girls to another victory. How he did it wouldn't matter. If you like, teach tikitaka for years. If you no win trophy, nobody go rate you.

You’re right about the fact that there's serious time constraint for national team managers as they don’t get four days a week with players like at a club, and can’t run complex positional drills in a three-day FIFA window. All that is granted and valid. Where I strongly disagree though is you using that reality to diminish football philosophy entirely, or try to make it unimportant relative to results. For starters, having a tactical identity is the exact foundation that makes winning repeatable. Look at the finalists of the just concluded World Cup. Both teams have been developing their players from the U17 up to the senior team, grooming them and acquainting them with the respective systems of their national teams. Spain took this same World Cup winning squad to the 2024 Paris Olympics. The continuity is real. You don't need club-level training hours to establish a clear identity. All that is unnecessary. Or are you going to re-teach them to play football too?

What countries like Spain do is to establish a clear, non-negotiable structural system and simply select the players whose existing club habits will fit the profiles. At the national level, having a "philosophy" means having clarity on how you press, transition, and defend in ways that are organized and clearly intentional. It's not exactly similar to club level micro-management.

That's why I personally can't get behind Madugu as a coach simply on a results-first basis. Pragmatic "smash and grab" football can get you through a short tournament run or pick up isolated wins, but without an underlying structural identity, it guarantees long-term volatility. You'll look fantastic in one tournament and in the next tournament you get exposed as a fraud. The moment individual brilliance fades or your opponent adapts to a basic setup, the team collapses because there is no system to fall back on. And trust me, teams that rely on "smash and grab" football are historically very easy to plot against and neutralize, especially in a high stakes tournament setting.

Nobody is asking for over-complicated tiki-taka, but teams that consistently win trophies are precisely the ones that know who they are when the pressure hits. This is precisely why African teams have historically underperformed at the global stage for decades, because we keep chasing short-term wins while Europe and South America build systems that outlast any single coach. Morocco is the only African country that seems to have gotten right. We need a national curriculum, so that every player called up already knows the core principles from U-17 level. Then the senior coach’s job will just be to select, motivate and drill them based on already existing frameworks and knowledge.

This is why I always give credit to Eric Chelle’s project across the Super Eagles and U23 pipeline, as it makes far more sense than settling for Justin Madugu’s short-term patchwork. Chelle is actively trying to construct a unified footballing identity, establishing consistent structural principles and a clear tactical language that allows top talent to seamlessly transition from the U23 setup into the senior national team. So far we can see that he doesn't just pick eleven players for an isolated match window. He is constructing a scalable, modern system.

Conversely, Madugu’s tenure epitomizes the structural dangers of results-oriented pragmatism. His reluctance to properly integrate fresh, dynamic talent into the team is compounded by baffling squad selections, repeatedly calling up past-their-prime personnel like Francisca Ordega or dodgy players like Glory Ogbonna over deserving, younger form players like Nicole Payne for instance. Pair those selection blind spots with his habit of misreading matches in real time and sticking to poor, predictable formations, and you get a setup that relies entirely on individual rescue acts.

NasirIbnLaAhad:
You’re right about the fact that there's serious time constraint for national team managers as they don’t get four days a week with players like at a club, and can’t run complex positional drills in a three-day FIFA window. All that is granted and valid. Where I strongly disagree though is you using that reality to diminish football philosophy entirely, or try to make it unimportant relative to results. For starters, having a tactical identity is the exact foundation that makes winning repeatable. Look at the finalists of the just concluded World Cup. Both teams have been developing their players from the U17 up to the senior team, grooming them and acquainting them with the respective systems of their national teams. Spain took this same World Cup winning squad to the 2024 Paris Olympics. The continuity is real. You don't need club-level training hours to establish a clear identity. All that is unnecessary. Or are you going to re-teach them to play football too?

What countries like Spain do is to establish a clear, non-negotiable structural system and simply select the players whose existing club habits will fit the profiles. At the national level, having a "philosophy" means having clarity on how you press, transition, and defend in ways that are organized and clearly intentional. It's not exactly similar to club level micro-management.

That's why I personally can't get behind Madugu as a coach simply on a results-first basis. Pragmatic "smash and grab" football can get you through a short tournament run or pick up isolated wins, but without an underlying structural identity, it guarantees long-term volatility. You'll look fantastic in one tournament and in the next tournament you get exposed as a fraud. The moment individual brilliance fades or your opponent adapts to a basic setup, the team collapses because there is no system to fall back on. And trust me, teams that rely on "smash and grab" football are historically very easy to plot against and neutralize, especially in a high stakes tournament setting.

Nobody is asking for over-complicated tiki-taka, but teams that consistently win trophies are precisely the ones that know who they are when the pressure hits. This is precisely why African teams have historically underperformed at the global stage for decades, because we keep chasing short-term wins while Europe and South America build systems that outlast any single coach. Morocco is the only African country that seems to have gotten right. We need a national curriculum, so that every player called up already knows the core principles from U-17 level. Then the senior coach’s job will just be to select, motivate and drill them based on already existing frameworks and knowledge.

This is why I always give credit to Eric Chelle’s project across the Super Eagles and U23 pipeline, as it makes far more sense than settling for Justin Madugu’s short-term patchwork. Chelle is actively trying to construct a unified footballing identity, establishing consistent structural principles and a clear tactical language that allows top talent to seamlessly transition from the U23 setup into the senior national team. So far we can see that he doesn't just pick eleven players for an isolated match window. He is constructing a scalable, modern system.

Conversely, Madugu’s tenure epitomizes the structural dangers of results-oriented pragmatism. His reluctance to properly integrate fresh, dynamic talent into the team is compounded by baffling squad selections, repeatedly calling up past-their-prime personnel like Francisca Ordega and Glory Ogbonna over deserving, younger form players like Nicole Payne for instance. Pair those selection blind spots with his habit of misreading matches in real time and sticking to poor, predictable formations, and you get a setup that relies entirely on individual rescue acts.

Then this issue goes beyond Madugu and Falcons. Don't forget that the core of that Spain team are from Barcelona and almost all their squad play in Spain. That has always been the norm for some time. Also, Spain has some good academies where they're taught the Spain football tradition. I think during Germany's era of dominance, they had a large percentage of their squad playing in Germany. In Africa, South Africa is another team that has a recognized football identity (even though it's all romance but no penetration).

Don't let me get started with our league. Age grade? When last did we qualify for U17 world cup?

On your opinion on smash and grab, are tournaments not small? Moreso, what I mean about smash and grab implies working with what you have to get immediate result rather than cooking a philosophy that may not get done in about 5 years time. My own definition of smash and grab doesn't equate to just individual brilliance. Of course, tactical input is inclusive but must be something that can be implemented in a short term.

mostob:
Then this issue goes beyond Madugu and Falcons. Don't forget that the core of that Spain team are from Barcelona and almost all their squad play in Spain. That has always been the norm for some time. Also, Spain has some good academies where they're taught the Spain football tradition. I think during Germany's era of dominance, they had a large percentage of their squad playing in Germany. In Africa, South Africa is another team that has a recognized football identity (even though it's all romance but no penetration).

Don't let me get started with our league. Age grade? When last did we qualify for U17 world cup?

On your opinion on smash and grab, are tournaments not small? Moreso, what I mean about smash and grab implies working with what you have to get immediate result rather than cooking a philosophy that may not get done in about 5 years time. My own definition of smash and grab doesn't equate to just individual brilliance. Of course, tactical input is inclusive but must be something that can be implemented in a short term.

‎I get your point but I think you've mistaken some terms or concepts here. It seems you've confused club-based synergy or chemistry with having a tactical philosophy. Having a domestic backbone like Barcelona or Bayern makes integration easier, but it isn’t a prerequisite for identity. Argentina won the World Cup with players scattered across Europe, and Morocco reached a World Cup semi-final in 2022 relying almost entirely on a global diaspora. They both have solid domestic league pipelines but that's not what united them in those contexts. It was a solid head coach who established clear, non-negotiable structural principles.
‎
‎A national team manager's job is not to rebuild grassroots academies in a FIFA window. An international philosophy simply means implementing a coherent, repeatable system using the talent available today. Your definition of "smash and grab" sounds reasonable on paper, but I don't think that's what Madugu provides. True pragmatism means adapting tactics to maximize current talent. And I fail to see how Madugu embodies this pragmatism by giving call ups to people like Ngozi Okobi and Francesca Ordega who have peaked and are on a decline. I fail to see this pragmatism in his deployment of head-scratching formations, misreading matches in real time, stubbornly leaving certain players on the pitch even amidst their lack of productivity, etc.

AndSunGorilla:
Haba now, fear God now. For the vast majority of the 2nd half, you couldn't even tell we were playing with one woman down, we even looked like the team more likely to score and you call that terrible?

Under Randy we were two women down against a better Morocco. We did much better.


We survived today because of individual brilliance not our clueless coach tactics.

If we qualify for the world cup we will be disgraced.

Lawag3:
Under Randy we were two women down against a better Morocco. We did much better.


We survived today because of individual brilliance not our clueless coach tactics.

If we qualify for the world cup we will be disgraced.

Didn't we lose to Zambia for the first and only time right after playing Morocco? 🧐

Lawag3:
Under Randy we were two women down against a better Morocco. We did much better.


We survived today because of individual brilliance not our clueless coach tactics.

If we qualify for the world cup we will be disgraced.

Ok sir.

Schemerkhiz:
But for some weird reason what if both teams completely do this, like Zambia defeat Malawi by a 4-3 scoreline in the final group matchday.

This result would safely navigate both sides into the knockout stage of the tournament, regardless of what happens in the other game.

Those who follow the Malawian and Zambians side surely agree that judging by the front lines only, such a result sounds pretty likely, as we all anticipate a high-scoring game.

Very possible. Hopefully it doesn't, we must however get our own job done by beating Egypt silly. If not for Ucheibe, Banda would bully most defenses at the tournament. Khunanadji that got injured or whatever her name is, I hope she doesn't play the next game too. At least less fire power for the Zambians without her.

When I didn’t see Ucheibe in the first game, I thought to myself, this is a missed opportunity to close down the Chawinga sisters because Ucheibe pairs well with Ayinde and can stop fast strikers.

mostob:
Then this issue goes beyond Madugu and Falcons. Don't forget that the core of that Spain team are from Barcelona and almost all their squad play in Spain. That has always been the norm for some time. Also, Spain has some good academies where they're taught the Spain football tradition. I think during Germany's era of dominance, they had a large percentage of their squad playing in Germany. In Africa, South Africa is another team that has a recognized football identity (even though it's all romance but no penetration).

Don't let me get started with our league. Age grade? When last did we qualify for U17 world cup?

On your opinion on smash and grab, are tournaments not small? Moreso, what I mean about smash and grab implies working with what you have to get immediate result rather than cooking a philosophy that may not get done in about 5 years time. My own definition of smash and grab doesn't equate to just individual brilliance. Of course, tactical input is inclusive but must be something that can be implemented in a short term.

"Romance but no penetration" 😂

Una too mumu for this thread I swear 😂

isan:
Plumptre was a starter last year...and after going down 2-0 against Morocco in final the first sub was rinsola

I rest my case. My pov is lost on you. 🙌🏾🙌🏾

maidaboi:
tbh i think Morocco are better than Zambia

Yeah. They had more attacking threats and a better gk

oloriooko:
They played like their lives depended on it.
The Banda threat was neutralised, Nnadozie practically was on holiday so to say
Dimehin coupd have played her last match in this tournament; she was annoying today

I wished we got the neutralising tactic right vs Malawi. We still slow starters for wafcon.

TheSuperNerd:
Update on Titbit 11

Funfact: With Oshoala's goal today, she is now the standalone 2nd All time Top Scorer in Wafcon history with 15 goals.

Only Nkwocha (34 goals) has scored more than Oshoala in Wafcon history.

Asisat Oshoala goes ahead of Equatorial Guinea's Genoveva Anomnan (14 goals).

Agba-Baller.

Her goal resembles Kai Havertz for Chelsea vs Man City that won ucl.


Hit
Retouch body and goes in for the winner. That acceleration to grab that ball and the zambian gk coming out late was funny. I dunno which was funnier -nnadozie coming out but not touching the ball or Nali coming out too late.

AndSunGorilla:
Not the same. 2 women down isn't same as 1 woman down. Plus we were playing against the hosts a very aggressive host for that.

Yeah. They as host with all their spectators antics and the obvious favouritism. Too glaring. I can't even remember the time we've gotten that level of favouritism in a caf competition.

GeneralDae:
Worst case scenario: Zambia beats Malawi 1-0 then Nigeria must beat the wiping girls of the group (Egypt) by at least a 3 goal margin which is very doable. Any other scenario where Zambia does not beat Malawi, Nigeria qualifies by just beating Egypt.

But if FIFA uses head to head then we must hope Zambia do not beat Malawi or we score over 5 goals against Egypt.

The tie breaker is head to head not goal difference.

solonnachi:
Malawi - 6gls 6pts +3
Zambia- 6gls 3pts +5
Nigeria- 3gls 3pts +0
Egypt- 1gl 0pts -8

We need to beat Egypt silly by 7-0 and hope Zambia beat Malawi 1-0 so we can top the group.

Nigeria is in second spot. Head to head is the rule.

Samueltemi337:
If Zambia wins Malawi 1 nil or 2 nil
and Nigeria wins Egypt with a 3 goal margin
Nigeria will top the group
Malawi will finish second
And Zambia will go home

Nigeria will be the one going home. Based on Head to head rule, Malawi has the advantage.

In a meaningless 3rd place game, coming off the back of a heartbreaking and controversial semifinal penalty shootout loss to Morocco?
Sure.

BascoVanVeli:
Didn't we lose to Zambia for the first and only time right after playing Morocco? 🧐

One of Malawi 🇲🇼 Striker Asimenye who’s an 100M, 200M and 400M athletes just arrive Morocco for the WAFCON….


Asimenye Simwaka (born 8 August 1997) is a Malawian athlete and footballer who plays as a forward for the Malawi women's national team.

She competed in the 2020 and 2024 Paris Olympics, carrying the flag for Malawi on both. She is employed by the Malawian Defence Force.

AkinDS:
In a meaningless 3rd place game, coming off the back of a heartbreaking and controversial semifinal penalty shootout loss to Morocco?
Sure.

It was a bad faith argument and Basco very often makes this making it difficult to engage with him. Also worth noting is that the girls didn't train before this game. There was a strike because of unpaid allowances.

Schemerkhiz:
One of Malawi 🇲🇼 Striker Asimenye who’s an 100M, 200M and 400M athletes just arrive Morocco for the WAFCON….


Asimenye Simwaka (born 8 August 1997) is a Malawian athlete and footballer who plays as a forward for the Malawi women's national team.

She competed in the 2020 and 2024 Paris Olympics, carrying the flag for Malawi on both. She is employed by the Malawian Defence Force.

Copied from a group.

IT'S ON FIRE! ASIMENYE SIMWAKA HAS ARRIVED AT THE SCORCHERS CAMP IN MOROCCO!

Good news for fans of the Malawi women's national football team, the Scorchers!

After missing the first two games of WAFCON 2026, Asimenye Simwaka has arrived at the Scorchers camp in Morocco and has joined her teammates.

During the time the Scorchers were playing against Egypt and Nigeria, Asimenye was representing Malawi in Athletics, where she also competes as a sprinter. She is one of the top athletes in the country, holding the Malawi national record in the 100m, 200m and 400m. After finishing her athletics duties, she has now arrived to help the Scorchers at WAFCON.

In football, Asimenye is one of the most dangerous players for the Scorchers and for MDF Lioness FC. She is known for her speed, her skill, and her goal-scoring ability.

Asimenye scored the first goal when Malawi beat Zambia 2-1 in the final of the COSAFA Women's Championship 2023, which helped the Scorchers win the trophy for the first time in history.

In 2025, she scored two goals when the Scorchers beat Lesotho 3-0 in a friendly match.

In the second game against Lesotho, she scored a hat-trick, helping Malawi win 3-0 again.

In the 2022/23 season, she scored 31 goals in all competitions for MDF Lioness, which made her one of the most dangerous players in Women's Football in Malawi.

Her arrival has given many fans hope that the Scorchers will be even stronger in the next games.

Welcome Asimenye Simwaka!...

Schemerkhiz:
Copied from a group.

IT'S ON FIRE! ASIMENYE SIMWAKA HAS ARRIVED AT THE SCORCHERS CAMP IN MOROCCO!

Good news for fans of the Malawi women's national football team, the Scorchers!

After missing the first two games of WAFCON 2026, Asimenye Simwaka has arrived at the Scorchers camp in Morocco and has joined her teammates.

During the time the Scorchers were playing against Egypt and Nigeria, Asimenye was representing Malawi in Athletics, where she also competes as a sprinter. She is one of the top athletes in the country, holding the Malawi national record in the 100m, 200m and 400m. After finishing her athletics duties, she has now arrived to help the Scorchers at WAFCON.

In football, Asimenye is one of the most dangerous players for the Scorchers and for MDF Lioness FC. She is known for her speed, her skill, and her goal-scoring ability.

Asimenye scored the first goal when Malawi beat Zambia 2-1 in the final of the COSAFA Women's Championship 2023, which helped the Scorchers win the trophy for the first time in history.

In 2025, she scored two goals when the Scorchers beat Lesotho 3-0 in a friendly match.

In the second game against Lesotho, she scored a hat-trick, helping Malawi win 3-0 again.

In the 2022/23 season, she scored 31 goals in all competitions for MDF Lioness, which made her one of the most dangerous players in Women's Football in Malawi.

Her arrival has given many fans hope that the Scorchers will be even stronger in the next games.

Welcome Asimenye Simwaka!...

If dem like make Usain bolt join them, next time we meet them, they will surely collect walahi their fada!

Rachael Adedini

The Manchester City Striker Adedini was born on 20 June 2009 in France. A native of Le Havre, France, she is of Nigerian descent through her parents.

She better reconsider and follow the Nigeria way ohhh. But again we have Semenya and Chidi Harmony coming up.

oloriooko:
If dem like make Usain bolt join them, next time we meet them, they will surely collect walahi

My own be say mk dem Destroy Zambiaaaaaaa oh

AkinDS:
In a meaningless 3rd place game, coming off the back of a heartbreaking and controversial semifinal penalty shootout loss to Morocco?
Sure.

All I hear are excuses.

Franktom247:
What if Malawi decides to rest players on Wednesday because I don't think there's any scenario they can be eliminated

If Zambia defeat them by 3 goals to nothing ,Malawi is out .

MetalJigsaw:
Nigeria will be the one going home. Based on Head to head rule, Malawi has the advantage.

No sir . If all the 3 teams tie on 6 points .
The head to head comes in and goals against Egypt will not be counted
Head to head table will likely be
Nigeria 3 points 0 goal
Zambia 3 points ( if they defeat Malawi by 2 nil ) +1
Malawi will have 3points minus -1 .
The only way Nigeria will be out is if Zambia defeats Malawi by 4-3 , or 5-4 goals .

Schemerkhiz:
Rachael Adedini

The Manchester City Striker Adedini was born on 20 June 2009 in France. A native of Le Havre, France, she is of Nigerian descent through her parents.

She better reconsider and follow the Nigeria way ohhh. But again we have Semenya and Chidi Harmony coming up.

. You think those imbeciles at the NFF will know who this girl is Madudu isnt interested in foreign born. He prefers old mamas like Franny Ordega and Shikiratu Isa. Only hope is if they sack Madudu and get a good foreign coach like Eric Chelle for the falcons.

If we finish 2nd in the group, looks like we will play Cameroon.

We are shouting babra banda, babra banda. Did anybody see as Asisat Oshoala sprinted past those zambian defenders like an athlete on dope to score? She was literally cheating those girls with masculine speed and manpower and i felt for them