The pain of Nigeria’s WAFCON quarter-final defeat to Cameroon ran so deep that some Super Falcons players struggled to eat the following day, according to forward Uchenna Kanu.
Nigeria’s hopes of defending their continental crown were ended by a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in Casablanca, a result that also denied the nine-time African champions an automatic qualification place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Kanu, speaking to ESPN, offered an insight into the mood inside the Nigerian camp more than 24 hours after the defeat, revealing that several players were still struggling to come to terms with the result.
“People are still in their feelings,” Kanu said.
“Some people didn’t even come out today for breakfast. Most of us, like myself, didn’t have breakfast. I didn’t show up to lunch.”
The Cruz Azul forward eventually managed to eat later in the afternoon but said the emotional impact of the defeat was still evident among her teammates.
“We’ve all been down,” she added.
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The defeat was particularly painful because Nigeria had arrived at the tournament as defending champions and were seeking to maintain their dominance in African women’s football.
Instead, Myriam Nyadjou’s 19th minute goal proved decisive as Cameroon held on to secure a place in the semifinals and one of Africa’s automatic World Cup qualification spots.
Kanu, who entered the game in the 38th minute, said the reaction among the players reflected the magnitude of the disappointment.
“I cried my eyes out, so did my teammates. We felt really terrible,” she said.
“That was not the promise we made to Nigerians, and it was a very disappointing night for all of us.”
For a team accustomed to success on the continent, the loss represented more than just an early exit from the tournament. It also left Nigeria with a more difficult route towards the next Women’s World Cup.
Kanu defends Super Falcons performance
Despite the result, Kanu believes Nigeria produced its strongest performance of the tournament against Cameroon.
The Super Falcons created pressure after conceding early but could not find the equaliser needed to keep their title defence alive.
“I know my girls, we did really well. We played our best game so far, but it was not good enough to secure the ticket, and we were all disappointed,” Kanu said.
The forward also pointed to factors beyond Nigeria’s performance, criticising the quality of the playing surface and the standard of officiating.
“A lot of factors played into the game. The officiating was not the best we’ve seen. The officials were not at their best performance. Also, the field was not a great field, to be fair,” she said.
But with the tournament still offering Nigeria another route towards the World Cup, Kanu knows there is little time to dwell on the disappointment.
South Africa now stand between Nigeria and another World Cup route
The Super Falcons will face South Africa in the playoff, with the winner progressing to FIFA’s intercontinental playoff tournament for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
Nigeria have appeared at every edition of the Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 1991, making qualification an important objective even after their hopes of retaining the African title were ended.
Kanu urged her teammates to turn the disappointment into motivation rather than allow it to derail their campaign.
“We would take it as a lesson learned, and we build with it, and we look forward to putting everything right on Thursday, leaving everything on the field on Thursday against South Africa,” she said.
The challenge now is as much psychological as it is tactical.
After the tears and missed meals that followed the Cameroon defeat, Nigeria must quickly recover and prepare for another high pressure fixture, with their World Cup hopes still alive.
“Our main focus right now would be on Thursday’s game, and hopefully we progress from there,” Kanu said.
“Hopefully, by the end of the game on Thursday, we would feel alive again.”
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The loss has ended Nigeria’s immediate pursuit of another WAFCON title, but the Super Falcons still have a path to the 2027 World Cup.
“Right now, emotions are very down. We’re putting our best, and we hope to eventually secure the ticket for the 2027 World Cup,” Kanu said.
