Nigeria vs Madagascar — AFCON Qualifying: stats, lineups & analysis
Match Events
- 16′Madagascar, goal:0–1assist
- 36′Madagascar, yellow card:Time wasting
- 45′Nigeria, goal:1–1assist
- Half-time1 – 1
- 57′Nigeria, yellow card:Foul
- 61′Nigeria, substitution:off
- 61′Nigeria, substitution:off
- 65′Nigeria, goal:2–1assist
- 67′Madagascar, substitution:off
- 69′Nigeria, substitution:off
- 69′Nigeria, substitution:off
- 70′Madagascar, substitution:N. Randriamanampsioaoff
- 70′Madagascar, substitution:N. Fontaineoff
- 84′Madagascar, substitution:off
- 84′Madagascar, substitution:offH. Abdallah
- 87′Nigeria, substitution:off
- 90+3′Madagascar, yellow card:Nicolas FontaineArgument
- Full-time2 – 1
Lineups
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Key Stats
Top Performers
Best rated
Goals
Assists
Player Ratings
Nigeria
Madagascar
Match report
Nigeria come from behind to beat Madagascar 2-1 in AFCON Qualifying
Nigeria began their AFCON Qualifying campaign with a 2-1 win over Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on matchday 1 of the group stage, recovering from an early deficit to take all three points.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Madagascar struck first in the 16th minute, Ehsan Kari finishing from Ryan Ponti's assist to make it 1-0. The home side kept pressing and levelled on the stroke of half-time, George Ilenikhena scoring in the 45th minute from Alexander Iwobi's pass to make it 1-1 at the interval.
The decisive goal arrived in the 65th minute, when Moses Usor converted after a delivery from Oluwasemilogo Adesewo Ibidapo Ajayi to put Nigeria 2-1 ahead. Madagascar, managed by Corentin Martins, never found a second equaliser, and the hosts saw out the remainder to complete the turnaround.
Alexander Iwobi was the top-rated player on the pitch with 8.2, creating Ilenikhena's equaliser just before the break. Madagascar's Ehsan Kari scored his side's goal and was rated 8.0.
Nigeria had 22 shots to Madagascar's 4, a gap that reflects how heavily the match was played in the visitors' half.
Nigeria beat Madagascar 2–1 (half-time 1–1).
Nigeria met Madagascar in the AFCON Qualifying (Group Stage - 1). Kick-off was Friday, 25 September 2026, 16:00 UTC at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium. Referee: Alhadi Allaou Mahamat.
Team pages: Nigeria · Madagascar · AFCON Qualifying
Key moments
- 16' Goal: Ehsan Kari (assist: Ryan Ponti) — 0–1
- 45' Goal: George Ilenikhena (assist: Alex Iwobi) — 1–1
- 65' Goal: Moses Usor (assist: Semi Ajayi) — 2–1
Starting line-ups
Nigeria (4-4-2)
- 23 S. Nwabali
- 3 Bruno Onyemaechi
- 21 Calvin Bassey
- 6 Semi Ajayi
- 2 Ola Aina
- 7 Ademola Lookman
- 17 Alex Iwobi
- 4 Wilfred Ndidi (c)
- 11 Samuel Chukwueze
- 22 Akor Adams
- 9 George Ilenikhena
Madagascar (4-2-3-1)
- 1 Geordan Dupire
- 3 Morgan Jean-Pierre
- 5 Sandro Trémoulet
- 15 Ehsan Kari
- 22 Mathieu Acapandié
- 6 Marco Ilaimaharitra
- 14 C. Couturier
- 10 E. H. Raheriniaina
- 7 Rayan Raveloson (c)
- 11 Ryan Ponti
- 19 H. Abdallah
About this match
On this page: the Nigeria vs Madagascar final score and result, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this AFCON Qualifying fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
The full match report above covers the goals, key moments and stats. Explore more on the Nigeria and Madagascar team pages or the AFCON Qualifying page.