Madagascar head coach Corentin Martins has acknowledged that the gap in experience and quality between his Barea side and Nigeria's Super Eagles proved decisive in their 2-1 defeat in the opening round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Madagascar stunned the home crowd by opening the scoring, but Nigeria fought back through two clinical strikes — a debut goal from George Ilenikhena in the 45th minute and a substitute's effort from Moses Usor in the 65th minute — to take all three points.
A bitter result to accept
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Martins was candid about the toll the loss had taken on his squad.
