The footballing rivalry between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and the Barea of Madagascar offers a fascinating narrative of growth, historic upsets and shifting continental dynamics.
While historical encounters heavily favoured the West African giants, recent meetings have proven that there are no longer any “minnows” in African football.
Looking back at their five most recent fixtures, the Super Eagles have experienced both the routine dominance expected of a continental powerhouse and the bitter sting of an unexpected defeat.
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Ahead of Friday’s clash, Completesports.com’s AUGUSTINE AKHILOMEN highlights how the Super Eagles fared in their last five matches against Madagascar.
● Madagascar 0–0 Nigeria (2002 AFCON Qualifiers – 7 October 2000)
The qualifying clash for the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations saw the Super Eagles travel to the Stade Municipal Alarobia in Antananarivo, where they faced a fiercely determined Madagascar side on home turf.
Playing in front of a passionate home crowd, the Barea of Madagascar put on a stellar defensive display, frustrating a star-studded Nigerian line-up that featured attacking talents such as Tijjani Babangida and Benedict Akwuegbu.
Both sides fought tooth and nail for control, but neither could find the necessary creative spark or clinical edge in the final third.
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Despite controlling spells of possession, the Super Eagles were held to a resilient 0–0 draw, earning Madagascar a historic point and setting the stage for a much more competitive head-to-head history between the two nations in the years that followed.
● Nigeria 1–0 Madagascar (2002 AFCON Qualifiers – 2 June 2001)
In the reverse fixture played on home soil, the Super Eagles found life much tougher against a deeply organised Malagasy defensive block.
Madagascar set up with a deeply compact and disciplined defensive structure that completely neutralised Nigeria’s early waves of attacks, frustrating both the players and the home supporters.
While Nigeria controlled the tempo and dominated possession, they struggled to turn their chances into goals until a lone breakthrough from Benedict Akwuegbu secured a narrow 1–0 victory, sealing a sweep of the qualifying double-header.
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He found the back of the net very early in the match, striking in just the fourth minute at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City to break Madagascar’s stubborn resistance.
● Nigeria 2–0 Madagascar (2012 AFCON Qualifiers – 5 September 2010)
On 5 September 2010, the Super Eagles hosted Madagascar at the U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar for their opening match of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. Nigeria put on a professional display, securing a comfortable 2–0 victory.
Energising the home supporters early on, Obafemi Martins broke the deadlock in the 18th minute with a clinical right-footed shot following sustained pressure on the Malagasy defence.
Just as the first half was winding down, Michael Eneramo doubled Nigeria’s advantage in the 45th minute, latching onto an assist from Martins to put the Super Eagles firmly in control heading into the break.
With a comfortable two-goal cushion secured, Nigeria controlled the tempo through the second half, comfortably seeing out the result and collecting all three points to kick off their qualifying journey on a high note.
● Madagascar 0–2 Nigeria (2012 AFCON Qualifiers – 4 September 2011)
In the return leg away in Antananarivo, the Super Eagles repeated their exact scoreline from the home fixture.
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Despite playing away from home in a hostile atmosphere, Nigeria’s attacking quality proved too strong. The first half ended scoreless as the hosts successfully frustrated Nigeria’s attacking threats.
The deadlock was finally broken in the second half when Ikechukwu Uche found the back of the net, rewarding the team’s relentless pressure and shifting the momentum firmly in Nigeria’s favour.
Late in the match, Victor Nsofor Obinna added the insurance goal, capitalising on a sharp counter-attacking sequence to make it 2–0 and secure all three points for the Super Eagles on hostile territory.
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● Madagascar 2–0 Nigeria (2019 AFCON – 30 June 2019)
The absolute watershed moment in this fixture came during the group stage of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Madagascar pulled off one of the greatest shocks in tournament history, defeating a star-studded Nigerian side 2–0 courtesy of goals from Lalaina Nomenjanahary and Carolus Andriamahitsinoro.
Capitalising on defensive errors, the Barea completely outworked and out-tacticked the Super Eagles to top the group.
