Nigeria’s Super Falcons were left stunned as Malawi secured a dramatic 3-2 victory in their WAFCON meeting, despite the Nigerians spending long periods on top.
Key takeaways
- Nigeria led in terms of control and territory, but still suffered a surprise loss to Malawi.
- Malawi found the breakthrough late in the contest, breaking the deadlock in the 78th minute.
- Poor defending helped Malawi extend the advantage to 2-0 shortly after the first goal.
- Nigeria responded in stoppage time, yet Malawi struck again in added time to restore the two-goal margin.
- Uchenna Kanu scored at 90+5 minutes to make it 3-2, but the deficit was ultimately too much to overturn.
Late strikes decide a tightly contested match
The game remained goalless through the opening half, with neither side able to convert their chances before the break. As the match moved into the final stretch, Malawi finally broke the deadlock in the 78th minute, taking a crucial lead.
Malawi then capitalised on defensive lapses from Nigeria to double their advantage, moving ahead 2-0. That momentum carried into the closing stages as Nigeria were left chasing the game despite their dominance at other points.
Two late goals for Malawi, one response from Nigeria
Nigeria managed to pull one goal back in stoppage time, narrowing the gap. However, Malawi quickly responded, scoring a third goal in the 90+5th minute to push the score back to 3-1.
Uchenna Kanu then added a late finish deep into added time to reduce the deficit to 3-2, but the final whistle came too soon for Nigeria to force a comeback. The loss leaves the Super Falcons reflecting on missed opportunities and costly defensive mistakes, even as they controlled substantial spells of the encounter.
