AFCON 2025
Stanley Nwabali has thrown his support behind Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie following her costly errors in Nigeria’s shocking 3-2 defeat to Malawi in their WAFCON 2026 opener. The former Super Eagles goalkeeper shared a photo of Nnadozie on Instagram, captioning it “Best I’ve ever come across, heads up champ!!” alongside heart and flexed-bicep emojis.
Nigeria suffered one of the biggest upsets in WAFCON history on Tuesday night in Rabat, losing to tournament debutants Malawi in their Group C opener. It marked the Super Falcons’ first-ever defeat to a WAFCON debutant nation in 18 previous meetings.
Nnadozie found herself at the center of the fallout. Temwa Chawinga rounded her in the 73rd minute to open the scoring, before Tabitha Chawinga doubled Malawi’s lead six minutes later, finishing through the goalkeeper’s legs.
Rasheedat Ajibade converted a penalty to pull one back for Nigeria. Still, Temwa Chawinga struck again in stoppage time to restore Malawi’s two-goal cushion, with another error attributed to Nnadozie in the buildup. Uchenna Kanu scored late to make it 3-2, but the Super Falcons couldn’t complete the comeback.
The defeat has drawn sharp criticism from fans and pundits alike. Former Super Falcons captain Desire Oparanozie singled out Nnadozie’s errors as the turning point in the match. At the same time, online reaction has focused heavily on her positioning and decision-making off her line.
Nwabali’s gesture comes against that backdrop, offering a public show of solidarity from a fellow Nigerian international goalkeeper at a moment of heavy scrutiny for Nnadozie. The post tagged Nnadozie’s associate handle and appeared to be a deliberate morale boost following the backlash.
The defeat throws Nigeria’s WAFCON title defence and qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup into early turmoil. The Super Falcons, chasing an 11th continental crown, now face a must-win scenario in their remaining group matches against Zambia and Egypt to keep their campaign alive.
