George Ilenikhena and Moses Usor scored on their Super Eagles debuts as Nigeria came from behind to beat Madagascar 2-1 in their AFCON 2027 opener.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria began their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign with a 2-1 comeback win over Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Friday.
Goals from George Ilenikhena and Moses Usor, two debutants, helped Nigeria overturn an early deficit and start on a winning note in Group L. It marked the first time two players have scored on their debut for the Super Eagles in the same match.
Team News
Stanley Nwabali and Ola Aina returned to the fold following their prolonged absence, while Ilenikhena started in attack for his debut in place of Victor Osimhen, Nigeria’s injured talismanic striker. Ilenikhena, a 19-year-old forward at Saudi club Al Ittihad, wore the number nine shirt usually associated with Osimhen, and his blond hairstyle even drew comparisons to the Galatasaray striker. Moses Simon started from the bench and became only the fourth player to reach 100 caps for the Eagles.
First Half: Nigeria Fall Behind, Then Level It
Nigeria went close early on from Wilfred Ndidi’s header, but the captain could not direct his effort on target as it sailed high and wide of goal, while the visitors unsuccessfully tried to catch Nwabali off guard from distance.
However, Madagascar took the lead against the run of play in the 16th minute from a short corner routine, with defender Ehsan Kari beating the offside trap to head home an excellent delivery for 1-0.
The Super Eagles regrouped, with Ndidi and debutant Ilenikhena both going close, while Akor Adams also failed to hit the target when found in space inside the penalty area. Nigeria also appeared to have equalised in the 33rd minute when Alex Iwobi found the net from inside the box, but the goal was ruled out for a foul by Adams on the Madagascar goalkeeper.
The equaliser eventually arrived in first-half stoppage time, when Iwobi’s defence-splitting pass reached Ilenikhena, who steadied himself in the penalty area before slotting into the bottom corner to restore parity at the break with his first international goal.
Second Half: Usor’s Solo Winner
Madagascar almost regained the lead early in the second half when a defensive lapse saw Hakim Abdallah through on goal, but Nwabali saved well at the foot of the big striker.
Head coach Eric Chelle made a double substitution, with Usor and Moses Simon replacing Samuel Chukwueze and Adams. Usor had Nigeria’s next two chances and scored from the second, in the 65th minute. The Austria-based LASK forward started and completed a counterattack following a Madagascar corner, picking up the ball from outside Nigeria’s own penalty area and driving into Madagascar’s box before beating the goalkeeper with a near-post finish to make it 2-1 to the Super Eagles.
Nigeria saw out the win to take all three points, extending their strong record against Madagascar in AFCON qualifying to four wins and one draw from five meetings. The result moves Nigeria to joint top of Group L alongside Guinea-Bissau, whom Nigeria face away in Bissau on September 29.
Coach’s Reaction
Speaking after the match, Chelle gave a measured assessment of the performance.
“This game was not bad but was not good too,” the coach said, reflecting a display that swung between defensive lapses and moments of quality from his debutants.
