Captain Rasheedat Ajibade scored twice as Nigeria's Super Falcons recorded a dominant 2-0 victory over regional rivals Cameroon in an international friendly on Tuesday, getting their Women's AFCON build up underway.
But Nigeria head coach Justin Madugu was left frustrated by a series of snafus that meant the scheduled two-game series was reduced to one, and then had to be moved from Monday to Tuesday due to glitches with Cameroon's travel arrangements.
Madugu said after the game: "It is always good to plan and when you have a schedule, it is important that you follow that schedule.
"A lot of these inconsistencies really did not work out well with us, but I must praise the girls for being focused, they never allowed that to distract them in any way.
"It may have accounted for the slow start, but then you can see as the game progressed, they got themselves and took control of the game. So it may have affected them as individuals but as a team they were able to get over that."
Cameroon's disruptive haphazard travel arrangements were not the only source of irritation for Madugu. As it stands, his team don't have an opportunity for any more high grade friendlies before the tournament kicks off next month, and the coach is concerned.
He said: "We would have appreciated the opportunity to play more games so that we can put to the test our philosophy and strategies we intend to adopt at the Nations Cup.
"It could also have given us the opportunity to give a lot of other players the opportunity of seeing what they can also do, which would help us determine who and who we can take the WAFCON.
"But we have to make do with what we have and try as much as possible to maximise this opportunity and to ensure that we do our best and get the girls very prepared before the Nations Cup.
"We would have loved more games to give more opportunities to the players but then, this is where we are, we cannot begin to look back and make excuses. We must keep working and ensure that we put a team together that will make Nigerians very happy."
Ajibade tucked away a penalty to open the scoring, before finding herself at the end of a well-constructed move to finish off an exquisite ball from debutant Rinsola Babajide.
Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie made some late saves to preserve the shutout in a win that offered glimpses of the Super Falcons capabilities despite missing top players like Asisat Oshoala, but Madugu insists the team is still has work to do as preparations ramp up toward continental glory.
"For us, it is still a work in progress," said the coach after the match. "We are still trying to put our act together, put finishing touches to our preparations. I think they did very well, but we still have a lot of things that need to work on."
Despite the words of caution, the coach, who was a long-time assistant to former boss Randy Waldrum, acknowledges that the Super Falcons, 11-time African champions have to live with the heightened expectations from the country's demanding football fans.
Madugu added: "There are high expectations each time they go out to play, considering the calibre of players we have. So we must ensure that the standard is maintained and improve on what the team has achieved so far."
That means, for this team, the ultimate goal going to Morocco could not be clearer: "What will make Nigerians happy is winning the trophy - and that is what we are going for."
It is a sentiment shared by Ajibade, albeit with more caution: "It is possible but we also have to be mindful that it is an objective that other nations are also eyeing.
"We will try to do our best and play to our strategies and the coach's instruction to achieve this.
"We are very positive in camp. We understand the responsibilities ahead of us and as players, it is an honour to play for the nation, so we are excited and looking forward to this tournament to give our best as always."
Tuesday's victory was accomplished despite the absence of Asisat Oshoala and other NWSL players, along with the likes of Ashleigh Plumptre missing.
But Ajibade insists that the Super Falcons are deep enough to weather the storm of absence: "The Super Falcons is a very big squad and a very talented squad.
"No one is indispensable. Football is all about moments, when you have the opportunity you need to rise to the occasion. If I am not here, if any other player is not here, anyone who is invited will also rise up to that standard, so when you have the opportunity just take it."
Nigeria have been drawn in Group B with Tunisia, Algeria and Botswana. They open their campaign on July 6 against Tunisia, then play Botswana on July 10 before completing group play on July 13 against Algeria.