A goal on his first appearance: Elinikhina brings his sparkle from Al-Ittihad to Nigeria

The young striker continued to shine

George Ilenikhena has carried his sparkling 2026-2027 form onto the international stage, this time in the colours of Nigeria.

The Al-Ittihad striker made his Nigeria bow on Friday, handed a first official call-up and a place in the starting XI for the 1-2 defeat to Madagascar in the opening round of 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Defeat or not, Ilenikhena stole the spotlight. He scored Nigeria's only goal in the first minute of first-half stoppage time, lashing home a left-footed strike from the edge of the box.

That strike summed up the form the 20-year-old has hit since the season began at Al-Ittihad. He has played 9 matches, scoring 6 goals and providing two assists.

Remarkably, he nearly left the club before the campaign even started, with several European sides chasing his signature during the last summer transfer window.

Ilenikhena has now made 15 appearances for Al-Ittihad since arriving in Jeddah last January from France's Monaco, scoring 6 goals and laying on two assists along the way.