Madagascar head coach Corentin Martins said his side's 2-1 defeat to Nigeria in Uyo was painful to accept after throwing away an early lead in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
The Barea led on Friday at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium but were overturned by two debut goals from Nigeria, leaving Martins to explain a collapse that cost them three points in Group L. The Frenchman spoke at the post-match conference immediately after the final whistle.
"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.
He described the game as a learning curve for his squad, pointing to the difference in pedigree. According to him, his players 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 across Europe. That experience, he noted, showed in crucial moments tonight.
Martins added that fatigue was decisive. In the second half, he said, his team's energy dropped and with the quality of the Nigerian team they punished us. Madagascar had opened scoring through Ehsan Kari in the 16th minute before George Ilenikhena equalized before halftime and Moses Usor struck the winner in the 65th minute.
Martins said Madagascar will take the lessons learnt and do better in subsequent games as they chase qualification.
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