Former Shooting Stars coach Fatai Amao has slammed the Super Falcons’ 2-1 loss to South Africa in the 2027 Women’s World Cup playoffs.
The defeat ends Nigeria’s hope of qualifying for the women’s biggest football showpiece in Brazil for the first time.
Thembi Kgatlana opened the scoring in the 56th minute before Refiloe Jane doubled their lead in the 77th minute. However, a late goal from Christy Ucheibe from the penalty spot was not enough to seal the Super Falcons’ passage to the intercontinental playoffs.
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Speaking after the game, Amao, in a chat with Completesports.com, expressed disappointment with Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
“I am really disappointed with the way the Super Falcons lost their only chance of qualifying for the 2027 Women’s World Cup to South Africa.
“This performance is unacceptable considering the fact that this match was supposed to serve as an opportunity for the team to bounce back to winning ways.
“We have to look beyond this result and start to prepare early for the next tournament.”
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Nigeria’s quarter-final exit against Cameroon had already ended an extraordinary record. Before the 2026 tournament, the Super Falcons had reached at least the semi-finals in every WAFCON edition they had contested. They had never been eliminated in the quarter-finals. Their record included 10 titles, three other semi-final exits, and several final appearances.
In the other game, Ghana defeated Ivory Coast 2-1 in the earlier kick-off to book their spot in the Inter-Confederation Playoffs preliminary round.
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Source: Complete Sports

