Super Falcons forward Uchenna Kanu has said that some players struggled to eat the following day following the emotional breakdown of Nigeria’s WAFCON quarter-final defeat to Cameroon.
Nigeria’s title defence came to an end after Cameroon secured a 1-0 victory in Casablanca, while the defeat also denied the Super Falcons an automatic qualification place for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Cameroon booked their place in the semi-finals and secured one of Africa’s automatic World Cup qualification spots, leaving Nigeria to fight through the playoff route.
Kanu said the disappointment remained evident in the camp more than a day after the defeat, with several players still struggling to recover emotionally.
“People are still in their feelings,” Kanu told ESPN on Tuesday.
“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 said she eventually managed to eat later in the afternoon but noted that many of her teammates were experiencing similar emotions.
“We’ve all been down,” she said.
Kanu, who came on in the 38th minute against Cameroon, said the team was 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.”
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Cameroon scored the only goal of the match in the 19th minute through Myriam Nyadjou before defending their lead against sustained Nigerian pressure.
Kanu believes the Super Falcons produced their best performance of the tournament but failed to get the result they needed.
“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.
he forward also criticised aspects of the match, pointing to 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, Kanu urged her teammates to put the defeat behind them and focus on their next opportunity.
“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 moving on to FIFA’s intercontinental playoff tournament for the 2027 World Cup.
The Super Falcons have qualified for every edition of the Women’s World Cup since the tournament began in 1991, and Kanu stressed the importance of maintaining that record.
“Our main focus right now would be on Thursday’s game, and hopefully we progress from there,” she said.
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