Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle and former African Footballer of The Year Victor Ikpeba have praised goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali for his crucial save in Nigeria's 2-1 comeback win over Madagascar in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Friday. Nwabali produced an important one-on-one save to deny Madagascar captain Rayan Raveloson early in the second half, keeping Nigeria in the game.
Chelle singled out Nwabali for his intervention, which came with Madagascar still holding the lead. He said during his post-match press conference that Nwabali "did well because they had a chance to score a goal, but Nwabali at this moment practically was very good." The coach admitted that the Eagles found it difficult to break down Madagascar's deep defensive approach and criticised their technical execution.
Chelle expressed that the team made a mistake, which led to conceding a goal, but they had several chances to score. However, he noted that their technical execution was not good enough. The coach also praised the attitude of his players after they fell behind, saying they gave everything for the country and showed determination to fight back and secure the three points.
Victor Ikpeba was more emphatic in his assessment of Nwabali, saying he considers the goalkeeper Nigeria's No. 1 and believes he is better than Udinese's Maduka Okoye. Ikpeba said on SuperSport that "credit to Nwabali, he's the number one goalkeeper for the national team. In my opinion, he's better than Maduka."
Ikpeba added that Nwabali's intervention could have changed the outcome of the match, particularly with Nigeria still trailing at that stage. He said Nwabali showed "that attribute again, the belief, the determination, 'I'm going to stop the lad'." Ikpeba also noted that the Madagascar attacker should have done better.
Nwabali's appearance was his first for Nigeria since he kept four consecutive clean sheets during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. The win over Madagascar has boosted Nigeria's confidence, and they will now turn their attention to Guinea-Bissau as they continue their qualifying campaign.
The Super Eagles will look to build on their momentum in the upcoming matches. With Nwabali's impressive performance and the team's determination, they will aim to secure more wins in the qualifying campaign. The team is expected to continue their preparations for the next match against Guinea-Bissau.
Key points
- Éric Chelle and Victor Ikpeba praise Stanley Nwabali for his crucial save in Nigeria's 2-1 win over Madagascar.
- Nwabali's save kept Nigeria in the game and potentially changed the outcome of the match.
- The win boosts Nigeria's confidence as they continue their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.
