AFCON qualifiers: ‘He’s better’ – Ikpeba chooses between Nwabali, Okoye

Former Nigerian footballer Victor Ikpeba has declared that Stanley Nwabali is a superior goalkeeper to Maduka Okoye, following Nigeria's narrow 2-1 victory over Madagascar. Ikpeba made his assertion after the match, which took place on Friday evening. He argued that Nwabali's goalkeeping skills surpassed those of Okoye. Okoye had been in the starting lineup for the previous two matches in the June friendly fixtures; however, he was not eligible for the Madagascar game due to his late arrival for international duty.

The Udinese goalkeeper's delayed arrival was allowed by Chelle to enable him to attend an event sponsored by his Italian club. Ikpeba commented on SuperSport, "Nwabali is the number one goalkeeper for the national team, and in my opinion, he's better than Maduka. Some at home might disagree, but he's the number one goalkeeper for the national team."

He went on to praise Nwabali's performance, noting, "He showcased that attribute once more, the confidence, the determination, 'I'll stop the attacker.' Yes, the Madagascar forward should have performed better if he had the same technical ability I had during my career." Ikpeba concluded, "He prevented our embarrassment because at that point, had it been 2-1, the match's outcome would have been uncertain. The result could have ended in a 2-2 draw or with a Nigerian defeat of 2-1."