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Nigeria 2-1 Madagascar: Ilenikhena, Usor fire Super Eagles to winning AFCON 2027 Qualifiers start
George Ilenikhena and Moses Usor marked their Super Eagles debuts with goals as Nigeria came from behind to defeat Madagascar 2-1 in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture in Uyo on Friday.
The result gave Eric Chelle’s side three points in Group L, although Guinea-Bissau moved to the top of the group after their 2-0 victory away to Tanzania earlier in the day.
Nigeria started brightly at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, but Madagascar frustrated the hosts with a disciplined defensive display and threatened on the counter.
The visitors stunned the home crowd in the 16th minute when Clément Couturier headed Madagascar into the lead from Ryan Ponti’s delivery.
The setback forced Nigeria to increase the pressure, with Ilenikhena emerging as one of the biggest threats to the Barea defence.
The Al-Ittihad forward came close to scoring on two occasions before finally finding the breakthrough in first-half stoppage time, converting to level the contest before the interval.
Ilenikhena’s goal completed a memorable senior international debut for the youngster, who had received his maiden Super Eagles invitation after making an impressive start to the season with Al-Ittihad.
Nigeria continued to push after the restart and completed the comeback through another debutant, Usor, who struck in the 65th minute to put the Super Eagles ahead.
The LASK forward’s decisive effort capped an outstanding first appearance for Nigeria and gave Chelle’s men the advantage they needed to see out the encounter.
Madagascar attempted to respond during the closing stages, but Nigeria held on to begin their qualifying campaign with victory.
The game also provided a landmark moment for Moses Simon, who earned his 100th appearance for the Super Eagles.
Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali also returned to the Nigeria starting XI, while the match offered Chelle valuable evidence of the options available to him in attack following Victor Osimhen’s absence through injury.
For Ilenikhena and Usor, the night could hardly have been more memorable. Both forwards were handed their senior international debuts and responded by scoring the goals that secured Nigeria’s comeback victory.
Nigeria will now switch attention to their second Group L fixture, away to Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday, September 29, with another three points at stake.
The Super Eagles will be looking to build on the Uyo victory and strengthen their position in the race to qualify for the 2027 AFCON finals in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.