Debutants George Ilhenikena and Moses Usor scored to steer Nigeria past a feisty Madagascar as the race to next year’s Africa Cup of Nations kicked off with three points in the bag for the Super Eagles.
A sizable crowd watched the Super Eagles recover from one go down after 15 minutes to turn the game on its head as Saudi Arabia-based Ilhenikena and Austria-based Moses Usor joined the growing list of Nigerian players who scored on their debut.
The match was only 70 seconds gone when Ilhenikena, who was in the thick of most Nigerian efforts in the first period, saw his scissors kick from a cross by Bruno Onyemaechi fly away from goal.
Samuel Chukwueze also saw his weighted pass to Ademola Lookman collected by visiting goalkeeper Geordan Dupire, but in the 16th minute, the Barea breached the Super Eagles’ barrier when Clement Couturier headed the ball from a pull-out past Stanley Nwabali, who thought the forward was off-side.
In the 34th minute, Nigeria put the ball in the visitors’ net after Dupire dropped from a pull-out, but the effort by Alex Iwobi was ruled out for a preceding foul.
Ilhenikena, energetic and largely unstoppable, pulled Nigeria level in added time of the first half when he latched on to the ball at the edge of the visitors’ box to slot past Dupire from close range.
The Saudi Arabia-based forward powered another header over the sticks a minute later, but Nigeria went into recess on the ascendancy.
Stanley Nwabali came up with a big save in the 50th minute to keep the scoreline even, and in the 64th minute, debutant Usor collected the ball on the counter-attack, raced past two defenders and dummied two others before unleashing an unstoppable left-footed grounder to which Dupire had no answer.
In the 72nd minute, another substitute Tolu Arokodare rocked the upright with a vicious strike, and though Nigeria continued to press and unleash, there were to be no more goals on a historic evening.
The match was Madagascar’s 100th game in qualifying campaign for the Africa Cup of Nations, but in the Nigerian camp, the excitement of Moses Simon’s 100th cap for the fatherland added to the joy of victory.
The energetic forward, introduced in the 58th minute, was presented with a framed jersey bearing his name by the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko; NFF’s Acting General Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme and; SSA to Mr. President on grassroots sports Development, Mr. Anthony Adeyinka Adeboye.
Victory took Nigeria joint-top of the group with Guinea Bissau’s Wild Dogs, who defeated Tanzania 2-0 in Dar es Salaam.
On Tuesday, Nigeria and Guinea Bissau meet in a top-of-the-table clash at Bissau’s 24 September Stadium, while Madagascar host Tanzania.
