Both George Ilenikhena and Moses Usor scored one goal each as the Super Eagles of Nigeria came from behind to beat Madagascar 2-1 in Uyo Stadium.
Eric Chelle and his players made it happen once again against a strong headed team to being their qualifiers for AFCON with a victory.
While the result showed the Super Eagles dominance, it wasn’t an easy match for them as they struggled before hitting the ground running.
Despite Victor Osimhen absence, George Ilenikhena took over the number nine shirt and was a none-stop threat all through his time on the pitch.
The Nigeria national team dominated play, but they couldn’t put anything together as their opponent did a solid job by keeping them out.
No goal was scored under the first 15 minutes which saw the home side going close on several occasions. The scoreline changed in favor of the visitors in the 16th minute.
Following a corner kick that was pushed outside the box, a cross from outside saw Couturier scored with a header which raised offside concerns.
The goal counted and the scoreline was 0-1 between both teams. It was a critical moment as the Super Eagles kept going and pushing to get themselves back into the match.
Nothing was working despite all the attempts with George Ilenikhena making the runs and almost found himself a goal at some point.
The visitors were good with their defending which held on until final minutes of the first half which saw the scoreline became 1-1 between both teams.
A through pass from Alex Iwobi saw the ball meet George Ilenikhena who was already on the run. The Al Ittihad forward beautiful placed the ball at the bottom corner.
The goal was the last action before the first half came to an end. Both Nigeria and Madagascar came into the remaining 45 minutes with hope of taking the points.
It was the Super Eagles who continued dominating play while their opponent just wait on any opening to break in and try take their chances.
The game was calm for a bit as both looked organized at the back. Most of the game happened from the midfield to the Madagascar box.
Eric Chelle decided to make some changes which wasted no time in paying off as Nigeria took the well-deserved lead they had been looking for.
Moses Usor raced through with the ball after a failed corner kick from the visitors. The forward dragged through until getting into the box where he placed his strike beating the goalkeeper.
It was a solo effort which saw the Super Eagles take a 2-1 lead in the 65th minute. There was so much to play, but the host did not take any chances with their lead.
Tolu Arokodare, Moses Usor and Taiwo Awoniyi came close to scoring in the match, but they just couldn’t make it happen as the game pushed on.
The game eventually came to an end with Nigeria claiming a 2-1 victory against Madagascar to claim all important three points after 90 minutes played.
Eric Chelle will be proud of how the Super Eagles did respond after going down in the first half. The three points place Nigeria second on the table with one game played.
Guinea-Bissau did beat Tanzania in the early game of the group 2-0 which placed them top. Madagascar will be hoping they can win their next match if they want to qualify.
The group is still open for any team as they will be playing their next match in the coming days. The Super Eagles will face Guinea-Bissau, while the Madagascans will take on Tanzania as their next opponent in the group.
