Nigeria’s Super Falcons were so devastated by their 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Cameroon that several players struggled to eat the following day, forward Uchenna Kanu has revealed.
Kanu said the mood in the camp remained deeply emotional more than 24 hours after Cameroon ended Nigeria’s defence of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title in Casablanca.
“People are still in their feelings,” Kanu told ESPN.
“Some people didn’t even come out today for breakfast. Most of us, like myself, I didn’t have breakfast. I didn’t show up to lunch.”
The Cruz Azul forward said she eventually ate later in the afternoon but noted that several of her teammates were going through the same experience.
“We’ve all been down,” she said.
Kanu, who came on in the 38th minute of the defeat, said the players were devastated by the result.
“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.”
Cameroon secured a 1-0 victory through Myriam Nyadjou’s 19th-minute goal, ending Nigeria’s title defence and securing the Indomitable Lionesses a direct qualification spot for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Nigeria were left to pursue qualification through the playoff route.
Kanu, however, believes the Super Falcons produced their best performance of the tournament despite failing to get the result.
“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,” she said.
She also criticised the quality of the pitch and the 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,” Kanu said.
Despite the disappointment, she urged the team to quickly put the defeat behind them and focus on their next opportunity against South Africa.
“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.
Nigeria will face South Africa in the playoff, with the winner advancing to FIFA’s intercontinental playoff tournament for the 2027 World Cup. The Super Falcons have appeared at every edition of the Women’s World Cup since the tournament began in 1991.
Kanu said maintaining that record was now the team’s priority.
“Our main focus right now would be on Thursday’s game and hopefully we progress from there. Hopefully, by the end of the game on Thursday, we would feel alive again,” she said.
“Right now, emotions are very down. We’re putting our best, and we hope to eventually secure the ticket for the 2027 World Cup.”
