Super Eagles vs Madagascar: 2 key factors that decided Nigeria’s comeback win

Nigeria’s Super Eagles survived a dangerous opening night in Uyo, recovering from an early deficit to defeat Madagascar 2-1 in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, Afrik-Foot reports.

Ehsan Khari stunned the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium crowd in the 16th minute with a free header, but George Ilenikhena struck in first-half stoppage time before Moses Usor completed Nigeria’s comeback in the 65th minute. Both goals came from players making their competitive Super Eagles debuts.

Yet Madagascar coach Corentin Martins believes the scoreline was shaped by two decisive factors: his team’s energy faded after the interval, while Nigeria’s players had greater experience of performing in high-level matches. His assessment offers a revealing explanation of how Eric Chelle’s side escaped a game that threatened to turn against them.

Key reasons Super Eagles beat Madagascar

1. Madagascar ran out of energy after the break

Madagascar carried the danger into the second half, but Martins felt the physical drop-off eventually opened the door for the Super Eagles.

The Barea had already survived sustained pressure before half-time, with Ilenikhena twice threatening goalkeeper Geordan Dupire before finally converting Alex Iwobi’s pass to level the contest.

Nigeria then increased the pressure after the restart. Ademola Lookman had an effort blocked, Calvin Bassey forced another save and Chelle refreshed his attack by replacing Samuel Chukwueze with Usor and Akor Adams with Moses Simon.

Usor needed only minutes to make the difference. In the 65th minute, he collected a headed pass from Semi Ajayi, surged through the Madagascar defence and drilled a left-footed effort into the bottom-right corner.

Martins conceded afterwards: “In the second half, our energy level dropped and with the quality of the Nigerian team they punished us. We will take the lessons learnt and be better in our subsequent games in the qualifiers.”

2. Nigeria’s experience told when the pressure peaked

The second factor was less physical but just as important. Martins saw a gulf in elite-level experience between the squads.

Madagascar had moments when they could have restored their advantage. Martins pointed specifically to one opportunity that could have made it 2-1 to the visitors, but the chance disappeared before Nigeria seized control.

“This defeat is hard to take for me and my players because we didn’t deserve to lose in the manner that we did. We had a chance of going 2-1 up but didn’t take it,” he said.

The French coach then pointed to the environments in which Nigeria’s players compete every week.

“It’s a learning curve for me and my players who are not at the level of the Nigerian players, who are used to playing big games because they play for top teams in top leagues.”

That experience showed in Nigeria’s response. Despite losing Victor Osimhen to injury before the qualifiers, Chelle’s side found two match-winners on debut, with Ilenikhena restoring belief before Usor delivered the winning blow.

The three points give Nigeria an early advantage in Group L, where Tanzania are already qualified as co-hosts, leaving Nigeria, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau competing for the section’s remaining qualification place. Nigeria next face Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday, September 29.