Madagascar coach Corentin Martins believes his side were punished by small details in their 2-1 defeat to Nigeria in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
The Barea took the lead through Ehsan Kari and produced a strong first-half performance against a Super Eagles midfield featuring Premier League-experienced players such as Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze and Ademola Lookman.
Nigeria eventually turned the game around through two debutants, with George Ilenikhena equalising before substitute Moses Usor scored the winner.
For Martins, the result was particularly difficult to accept because Madagascar had an opportunity to regain the lead shortly after half-time.
Martins points to missed opportunity
The Madagascar coach highlighted the chance his team failed to convert in the 51st minute as one of the decisive moments of the match.
“For us, this result is difficult for us to accept it. This game, they beat us in small detail. We have one occasion to be 2-1 up and we didn’t make it,” Martins said.
Nigeria then punished Madagascar from a set-piece situation, with Martins revealing that his team had specifically discussed defending such situations before the game.
“From the corner we got a goal. It’s something we know like that, we talked to the players before. It’s a detail you have in this game.”
Barea struggled to maintain first-half intensity
Madagascar competed well in midfield during the opening 45 minutes and were able to impose themselves despite the quality of Nigeria’s players.
Martins credited his players for their tactical approach but admitted their performance dropped physically after the interval.
“We played a game with Nigeria with good players. We also want to be tactical. We were good with the ball in the first half, we went with the ball well, and in the second half we were physically tired,” he explained.
The coach said Madagascar attempted to make changes in search of a second goal but could not maintain the same level throughout the contest.
“We made some moves to win the game so we can score the second goal, but we were not consistent throughout the game.”
Experience gave Nigeria an edge
Martins also pointed to the difference in experience between the two squads, noting that Nigeria’s players compete regularly in stronger European leagues.
“We don’t play quality teams. If you compare your players and our players, your players play in big leagues than us,” he said.
“Just small detail to make it because they have a lot of these.”
Despite the defeat, Martins felt Madagascar had shown enough against one of Africa’s leading sides to take positives from the performance as they continue their qualification campaign.