Super Eagles Beat Madagascar 2-1 in AFCON 2027 Qualifier

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have begun their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar in their Group L opener.

Madagascar took an early lead through E. Kari in the 16th minute before Nigeria responded through debutant George Ilenikhena just before half-time.

Moses Usor then completed the comeback in the second half as Eric Chelle’s side secured all three points.

Kari opened the scoring for Madagascar after receiving a pass from R. Ponti and finding the back of the net in the 16th minute.

Nigeria struggled to restore parity for much of the opening half but eventually found the breakthrough in first-half stoppage time.

Ilenikhena, making his senior international debut after receiving his first Super Eagles call-up, finished from an assist by Alex Iwobi to send the teams into the break level at 1-1.

The Super Eagles returned from the interval with greater attacking intent and took the lead in the 65th minute.

Usor, another player making his senior debut for Nigeria, converted a pass from Semi Ajayi to put the hosts 2-1 ahead.

The Super Eagles held on for the remaining minutes to secure a winning start to their qualifying campaign.

The result gives Nigeria three points from their opening Group L fixture and provides Chelle with a positive start to the team’s bid to qualify for the 2027 AFCON finals.

The match was particularly significant for Ilenikhena and Usor, who were among the new players introduced to the senior national team by Chelle for the September qualifiers. CAF had confirmed that Ilenikhena and two other players received their first senior call-ups ahead of the opening fixtures against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.

Nigeria’s second Group L fixture will be away to Guinea-Bissau on September 29, four days after the Madagascar encounter. CAF’s published schedule lists the Guinea-Bissau versus Nigeria fixture for that date.

The Super Eagles will be looking to build on the opening victory as they continue their pursuit of a place at the 2027 AFCON tournament, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.