Madagascar head coach Corentin Martins has attributed his side’s 2-1 defeat to Nigeria in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier to the quality of the Super Eagles and a drop in his players’ energy in the second half.
According to him Madagascar started brightly and took the lead, but Nigeria fought back through debutant George Ilenikhena, who equalized shortly before half-time, before Moses Usor completed the comeback in the second half.
Martins admitted after the game that the defeat was difficult to accept, insisting that Madagascar had opportunities to extend their lead before Nigeria turned the match around.
“This defeat is hard to take for me and my players because we didn’t deserve to lose in the manner that we did. We had a chance of going 2-1 up but didn’t take it,” Martins said.
The coach said the difference in experience also played a part, pointing out that many of Nigeria’s players regularly compete at a higher level with top clubs and are accustomed to playing important matches.
“It’s a learning curve for me and my players who are not at the level of the Nigerian players, who are used to playing big games because they play for top teams in top leagues,” he added.
Martins also felt his team could not maintain the same intensity after the break.
He said the drop in energy gave Nigeria the opportunity to make their superior quality count, eventually turning Madagascar’s early advantage into a defeat.
“In the second half, our energy level dropped and with the quality of the Nigerian team they punished us,” he said.
Despite the setback, Martins said Madagascar would use the experience as a lesson as they continue their qualifying campaign.
“We will take the lessons learnt and be better in our subsequent games in the qualifiers,” he added.