By John Ofem, JKNewsMedia Sports Reporter
NIGERIA’s SUPER Eagles opened their campaign for a place at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar in Uyo on Friday, September 25.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that Madagascar struck first to put Nigeria behind early in the Group L encounter, but the Super Eagles responded before the interval through debutant George Ilenikhena.
Ilenikhena, making his first appearance for Nigeria’s senior national team, found the equaliser shortly before half-time to send the two sides into the break level at 1-1.
For the second half, Nigeria returned determined to complete the turnaround, and another player making his senior international debut provided the decisive moment.
Moses Usor scored in the second half to put the Super Eagles ahead and complete Nigeria’s recovery from the early setback.
The 2-1 victory gave Nigeria three points from their opening qualifying fixture and handed coach Éric Chelle a winning start to the Super Eagles’ AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign.
Also, the match produced a significant milestone for Nigeria, with both Ilenikhena and Usor scoring on their senior international debuts.
Ilenikhena’s equaliser came at a crucial point in the contest, preventing Madagascar from taking its one-goal advantage into the dressing room at half-time.
Usor subsequently completed the comeback after the restart.
JKNewsMedia.com also reports that Nigeria went into the fixture without Victor Osimhen, who was unavailable because of injury, leaving the Super Eagles to find alternative attacking options for their opening qualifier.
The emergence of the two debutants provided the goals Nigeria needed to overcome Madagascar and begin the qualification campaign with maximum points.
Now, the Super Eagles is turning their attention to their second Group L fixture against Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday, September 29.
That encounter is expected to give Nigeria another opportunity to build on the opening victory and strengthen its position in the race for qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The 2027 AFCON is being jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, with Nigeria seeking to secure its place at the continental tournament through the qualifying series.
Currently, the Super Eagles have taken an important first step in their qualifying campaign, recovering from Madagascar’s early advantage to claim a 2-1 victory in front of their home supporters in Uyo.
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