Nigeria forward Esther Okoronkwo is confident the Super Falcons will bounce back from the 3-2 defeat against Malawi when they take on Zambia on Saturday.

Nigeria was expected to sweep past Malawi in their opening WAFCON fixture on Tuesday, but they were caught off guard as the Chawinga sisters — Tabitha and Temwa — used their speed to devastating effect, as their goals came from long balls played behind the defensive line.

It was only after falling behind that Nigeria picked up the pace as late goals from Okoronkwo and Rasheedat Ajibade were not enough to salvage a result.

The Super Falcons will now shift their focus to Saturday’s match against Zambia, who beat Egypt 6-0 in their opening Group C match.

In a post-match interview, Okoronkwo promised that the team will beat Zambia and keep their hopes alive.

She said the team has learnt so much from the match against Malawi, adding that they were flat in the opening match.

“I think next game we’re going to come back; we have to come out better than we did,” Okoronkwo said.

“This game kind of came out a little flat, but it is what it is. We learnt; we’re going to go back and learn our lesson and fix where we need to so we can come back better in the next game.”

Meanwhile, Asisat Oshoala has apologised to Nigerians following the Super Falcons’ shock defeat to Malawi.

“Smaller nations are closing the gap, but it’s also a wake-up call for Nigeria. We have to understand that other teams want to win this trophy as well,” Oshoala said.

“It’s still a long competition, and all we need to do is prepare well for the next game. We are sorry for losing the opening game to Malawi.”