Asisat Oshoala scored the decisive goal as Nigeria’s Super Falcons bounced back from their opening defeat to edge Zambia 1-0 in their second Group C match of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday.

The victory revived Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals after a 3-1 win for Malawi over Egypt earlier in the day meant the defending champions could not afford another defeat.

Oshoala netted the game’s only goal in the eighth minute, reacting quickest after her initial effort was saved before the rebound fell kindly for her to slot home.

Nigeria’s task became more difficult in the 40th minute when defender Oluwatosin Demehin was shown a straight red card, forcing the Super Falcons to play with 10 players for the remainder of the match.

Despite being a player short, the nine-time African champions produced a disciplined defensive display to hold off Zambia and secure all three points.

The result moves Nigeria into second place in Group C on a superior head-to-head record. The Super Falcons must now defeat Egypt convincingly in their final group-stage match to boost their chances of qualifying for the quarter-finals.