Victor Ikpeba has reignited the Super Eagles’ goalkeeper debate by identifying the quality he believes gives Stanley Nwabali an edge over Maduka Okoye, Footynaija reports.
Ikpeba is convinced that Nwabali has the edge when it comes to the belief and determination to produce decisive saves when Nigeria need them most.
Nwabali supplied exactly that moment during Nigeria’s 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, on Friday.
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After Ehsan Kari headed Madagascar in front in the 16th minute, George Ilenikhena levelled in first-half stoppage time before Moses Usor completed Nigeria’s comeback in the 65th minute.
Yet the defining goalkeeping moment arrived four minutes into the second half.
With the score still 1-1, Madagascar captain Rayan Raveloson found himself in a one-on-one situation with Nwabali, only for the Chippa United goalkeeper to stand tall and deny him. The save was later rated among Nwabali’s key contributions to Nigeria’s victory.
Ikpeba, speaking on SuperSport, believes that kind of mentality separates Nwabali from his rival.
“Credit to Nwabali, he’s the number one goalkeeper for the national team,” Ikpeba noted. “In my opinion, he’s better than Maduka. People at home might disagree, but he’s the number one goalkeeper for the national team.”
The former Monaco forward then pointed to Nwabali’s mentality in the decisive moment.
“He showed that attribute again, the belief, the determination, ‘I’m going to stop the lad’. Yes, the Madagascar attacker should have done better if he had a technique like me in my days.”
Ikpeba believes the intervention carried far greater weight than an ordinary save because Madagascar were threatening to regain the lead.
“He saved our blushes because in that moment, if it was 2-1, you don’t know what would have been the outcome of this game. The score might have ended 2-2 or we lose 2-1.”
The performance was particularly significant because it was Nwabali’s first Nigeria appearance since the 2025 AFCON, where he kept four consecutive clean sheets.
Okoye had started Nigeria’s two June friendlies, but Nwabali reclaimed the gloves against Madagascar, with Okoye arriving late in camp after club commitments in Italy.
Nigeria now face Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday, with the goalkeeper debate likely to continue into the next Group L fixture.
