Nigeria overcame an early setback to begin their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a 2-1 victory over Madagascar in a hard-fought Group L encounter at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.
The Barea drew first blood in the 16th minute when Ehsan Kari converted from Ryan Ponti’s assist, putting Madagascar ahead and forcing Nigeria to chase the game.
The Super Eagles, however, refused to allow the early setback to derail their opening-night campaign.
Nigeria continued to push forward and found their reward in first-half stoppage time when Alex Iwobi supplied George Ilenikhena, who finished to restore parity. It was a landmark moment for Ilenikhena, who was making his senior Super Eagles debut after being handed his first national-team call-up by Eric Chelle.
The equaliser changed the complexion of the contest, with Nigeria returning after the interval in search of the goal that would complete the comeback.
Chelle’s introduction of another debutant Moses Usor proved decisive. The forward replaced Samuel Chukwueze and struck in the 65th minute after receiving a pass from Semi Ajayi, putting Nigeria in front for the first time in the match.
Madagascar were unable to find another equaliser as Nigeria held on to secure all three points and open their Group L campaign with a victory.
The win also gave Nigeria a positive start despite the absence of Victor Osimhen, who missed the opening qualifiers while recovering from a muscle injury. The Nigeria Football Federation had confirmed before the match that the striker would not feature against either Madagascar or Guinea-Bissau.
The result carries added importance because Tanzania, one of the three hosts of the 2027 AFCON, are already guaranteed a place at the finals.
Consequently, Nigeria, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau are competing for the group’s remaining qualifying position, meaning every point in the three-way contest could prove significant.
For Nigeria, attention now turns to Guinea-Bissau, with the Super Eagles scheduled to travel for their second Group L fixture on Tuesday, 29 September. Madagascar will meanwhile host Tanzania.
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