The Super Eagles of Nigeria overcame an early scare to defeat Madagascar 2-1 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Matchday One of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The visitors silenced the raucous home crowd when Ehsan Ekari headed Madagascar into the lead in the 16th minute.
Nigeria, however, responded strongly and turned the game around with two goals from two debutants.
Saudi Arabia-based George Ilenikhena restored parity just before the break, calmly converting after receiving a defence-splitting pass from Alex Iwobi.
Moses Usor then completed the comeback five minutes after the hour mark. The debutant picked up the ball on the right channel, weaved his way past two defenders, cut inside and fired a low effort into the near post to give Nigeria the lead.
The Super Eagles held on to secure all three points and make a winning start to their qualifying campaign.
The victory will come as a timely boost to the morale of the team and their supporters, particularly after Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Despite the victory, however, Eric Chelle’s side sit second in Group L, with Guinea-Bissau moving to the top after securing a 2-0 victory over the Warriors of Namibia.
Nigeria’s next qualifying fixture against Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday will therefore be crucial, with victory potentially taking the Super Eagles to the summit of the group.
By Joseph Jacob
