Ilenikhena and Usor give Nigeria winning AFCON start
Nigeria opened its 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a 2-1 win over Madagascar on Friday. Debutant George Ilenikhena scored the equaliser before Moses Usor completed the comeback, giving the Super Eagles three points in their first Group L match.
Nigeria began its 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a 2-1 victory over Madagascar on Friday. The Super Eagles fell behind against the island nation but recovered to secure all three points. Debutant George Ilenikhena and Moses Usor scored the goals that turned the match in Nigeria’s favour.
Madagascar took the lead before Nigeria responded. Ilenikhena then equalised, marking his senior international debut with a goal and restoring parity before half-time. Usor scored after the break to complete Nigeria’s comeback.
The two goals were enough to give the Super Eagles a winning start in Group L. The result puts Nigeria on three points after the opening fixture. Further details of the match, including the timing of Madagascar’s goal and the venue, were not provided in the supplied Channels Television report.
The victory gives Nigeria an early advantage in the qualifying group, although the report does not provide the full standings or details of the other opening-round fixtures. Channels Television said more information would follow. The result nevertheless confirms that Nigeria began the campaign with a win, with Ilenikhena’s debut goal and Usor’s second-half strike deciding the match.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.