Nigeria coach Justin Madugu blamed his team's failure to convert their chances for Sunday's 1-0 Women's Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal defeat to Cameroon, which ended the Super Falcons' title defence.
The loss also cost them an automatic ticket to the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup, and they will now face a long road to Brazil next year, starting with a play-in match against South Africa on Thursday. Banyana were knocked out of WAFCON by Morocco.
Myriam Nyadjou Wamen scored the only goal in the 19th minute, beating Chiamaka Nnadozie with a superb direct free kick as Cameroon held on despite sustained pressure from the defending champions.
Madugu said Nigeria created enough opportunities to have changed the outcome but failed to take them: "It was not our intention to lose. If we had been more clinical, the game could have been different."
It was a frustrating end for the 10-time African champions, who came into the tournament looking to defend the title they won last year, after coming from two goals down to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the final.
Instead, Cameroon, who only made the tournament after CAF expanded the field and added four teams based on rankings, brought Nigeria's title defence to an end. The Indomitable Lionesses had made the most of their second chance, winning Group D with victories over Mali and Ghana before a 1-1 draw against Cape Verde in their final group game.
Despite the disappointment, Madugu gave credit to Cameroon for surviving Nigeria's pressure and making their early advantage count.
"I like to give Cameroon credit," he said. "They did not qualify initially but came in as one of best ranked teams.
"They came first in their group, winning their two games and drawing against Cape Verde, in match that did not matter as far as position is concerned.
"Today, they did best they could and defended very well, but we created a lot of chances. If we had converted our chances, the result would have been different."
Nigeria had their own opportunities to extend their stay in the competition, with Cameroon goalkeeper Michaely Bihina producing a series of saves to preserve her team's advantage.
The biggest opportunity came in stoppage time. Substitute Esther Okoronkwo broke through the Cameroon defence with Oshoala, herself a late substitute, arriving unmarked alongside her.
Okoronkwo elected to go for goal instead of squaring the ball to Oshoala, who would have had the easiest of tap ins. Although her attempt beat Bihina, it rolled agonizingly wide of the post.
Oshoala was incandescent with frustration and her furious reaction immediately drew attention and raised questions about possible friction within the Nigeria camp, but Madugu dismissed any suggestion of a split among his players.
"To the best of my mind, there is no problem in the camp with the girls," he said. "All the players are on the same page, working together. It is just one of those things that can happen in the course of the game.
"I am sure Esther felt she could have scored that's why she made the attempt, and probably should have passed to Oshoala who would have scored. It doesn't mean there's any division."
The moment was particularly striking because Okoronkwo had been one of Nigeria's most influential and unselfish players when they won the title last year, scoring twice and contributing six assists during the tournament and being named player of the match in the final against Morocco.
Madugu also rejected suggestions that financial incentives offered to the players had contributed to poor decision-making in front of goal.
The National Sports Commission had promised the Super Falcons 10 million naira for every goal against Egypt in their final group game. An NFF source also told ESPN that two private individuals had separately pledged $10,000 for every goal scored by the team.
"I wouldn't say it's to do with promises made by NSC," Madugu said. "In all games played we didn't create the kind of chances we made.
"We just weren't clinical with finishing, this why they couldn't score goals from chances created."
The defeat means Nigeria will not be one of Africa's four automatic qualifiers for Brazil 2027, putting at risk their record of appearing at every Women's World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1991.
But their qualification hopes are not over. Although the Super Falcons can no longer qualify directly to the World Cup, they can still make it via the long playoff route, starting with a continental playoff against South Africa on Thursday.
Under the expanded WAFCON format, the four losing quarterfinalists enter an additional African playoff, with two teams progressing to FIFA's inter-confederation playoff tournament.
Nigeria will face South Africa on Thursday in Casablanca after Banyana Banyana were beaten 2-1 by hosts Morocco in their quarterfinal.
That leaves the Super Falcons with a considerably longer and more convoluted path to Brazil, but Madugu said there was no time to dwell on the loss.
"Going forward, as long as we still have the opportunity, we will not drop our guard," he said. "We will continue to work, exploit second chances. We will not give up, we must continue the fight."