Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle has praised Stanley Nwabali for his performance in Nigeria’s 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar, Bold Sports reports.
Nigeria began their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a win at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Friday.
Madagascar took the lead early through Ehsan Kari. George Ilenikhena then equalised before half-time on his senior international debut. Moses Usor later completed Nigeria’s comeback with the winning goal.
Nwabali returned to the Super Eagles starting lineup for the Group L qualifier. The goalkeeper had missed Nigeria’s June international fixtures before earning another call-up from Chelle.
His most important moment came after the break. Madagascar created a clear opportunity to restore their lead, but Nwabali produced a crucial one-on-one save.
That intervention helped Nigeria stay level before Usor eventually put the hosts ahead.
Chelle highlighted the importance of the save when assessing Nwabali’s display after the match.
“Nwabali did well because they had a chance to score a goal, but Nwabali, at that moment particularly, was very good. And after that, we continued to go forward.”
The coach also acknowledged the difficulty Nigeria faced against a compact Madagascar defence.
Madagascar made life difficult for Nigeria by defending deep for long periods.
The visitors focused on protecting their goal and limiting the spaces available to the Super Eagles in attack.
Chelle explained how that approach affected Nigeria’s performance.
“It was not easy because they put the best in front of the post, so it was not easy.”
Despite the resistance, Nigeria continued to push forward after Nwabali’s important intervention.
The pressure eventually produced the decisive moment. Usor scored to give the Super Eagles a 2-1 lead and secure three points from their opening qualifier.
The victory gives Chelle’s team three points at the start of their Group L campaign.
Nigeria will now prepare for another qualifier against Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday, September 29. The Super Eagles are level on points with Guinea-Bissau after the opening round of matches.
Chelle also stressed that the team must improve despite taking maximum points from the encounter.
“Again, I’m happy, but we have a second game in a few days, and we have to continue to improve in our game project..”
For Nwabali, the performance provided an important contribution to Nigeria’s winning start.
The goalkeeper’s crucial save came at a key stage of the match. It allowed the Super Eagles to maintain their momentum before Usor delivered the decisive goal.
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