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Nigeria fight back to beat Madagascar in Cup of Nations qualifier
Debutants George Ilenikhena and Moses Usor overturned an early deficit as Nigeria opened Group L with three points.
- On Friday, Nigeria defeated Madagascar 2-1 at Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, opening their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign. Debutants George Ilenikhena and Moses Usor scored after Ehsan Kari's 15th-minute opener for the Barea.
- Coach Eric Chelle's squad faced pressure to avoid repeating a failed 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. The Barea's 2-0 victory over Nigeria at the 2019 AFCON heightened urgency for a strong Group L start.
- Without star striker Victor Osimhen due to a right adductor strain, Nigeria called up Taiwo Awoniyi as replacement. Chelle shifted from a diamond formation to a 4-2-3-1 to exploit space against Madagascar's compact defense.
- Victory moves the Super Eagles level on points in Group L with Guinea-Bissau, who defeated Tanzania 2-0. Only one non-host nation advances from the group, making every point critical.
- The squad travels to Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday for their second qualifier before facing Russia in an October 6 friendly. Chelle will use both fixtures to build momentum and evaluate emerging talent.
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61 Articles
61 Articles
Nigeria fight back to beat Madagascar in Cup of Nations qualifier
·London, United Kingdom
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One day after Sascha Horvath and Christoph Lang for Austria, their LASK comrade Moses Usor also celebrated his debut in the national team for Nigeria – and his "Super Eagles" scored a victory for Madagascar at the start of the qualification for the Africa Cup!
·Vienna, Austria
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Radio France Internationale+4 Reposted by 4 other sources
Egypt, Senegal, Morocco and Nigeria start quest for AFCON 2027
Seven-time champions Egypt and heavyweight outfits Nigeria, Morocco and Senegal begin their qualifying campaigns on Friday for next year's Africa Cup of Nations.
·Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources61
Leaning Left3Leaning Right2Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution62% Center
Bias Distribution
- 62% of the sources are Center
62% Center
L 23%
C 62%
15%
Factuality
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