Two Debutants Scored, And Nigeria Came From Behind To Beat Madagascar

Sports

Uyo · Saturday 26 September 2026

Nigeria beat Madagascar 2-1 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Friday night to open their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a win. Both Nigerian goals were scored by players making their senior international debuts.

Madagascar led on 16 minutes when Ehsan Kari headed past Stanley Nwabali. George Ilenikhena equalised in first-half stoppage time from an Alex Iwobi pass, and Moses Usor won it on 65 minutes, taking the ball from Semi Ajayi, beating two defenders and finishing low into the bottom corner with his left foot.

football stadium night floodlights crowd celebration Photograph by Emerson Vieira via Unsplash.

Fifteen days ago this site wrote that the door had opened

On 11 September we wrote that injuries to Victor Osimhen and Paul Onuachu had opened a door for Ilenikhena, a twenty-year-old playing in Saudi Arabia. He walked through it on his first cap, in the one minute of the first half that changed the match.

Look at who made the goals. Iwobi, the most-capped player in the side, laid on the equaliser. Ajayi, who has spent September holding together the best defence in the Premier League at Hull, started the winning move. The debutants finished, but the experienced players built both chances. That is how an untested attack is supposed to be introduced.

Group L, and why a narrow win is still the right result

Team	Situation
Tanzania	Co-hosts, already qualified
Nigeria	Three points from one game
Madagascar	Beaten, but scored in Uyo
Guinea-Bissau	Next, away, on Tuesday

With Tanzania through as hosts, one other place is available from this group.

Going a goal down at home to Madagascar and winning is not a warning sign. Going a goal down and losing would have been.

What the night proved about the squad

Nigeria went into this window without Osimhen and with the attack described, for most of the year, as one injury deep. It won with two strikers who had never played for the senior team before Friday. Whatever else happens in Group L, that description is out of date.

Reporting: Channels Television, Premium Times, ESPN and Africa Top Sports.

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