Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle says Guinea-Bissau were more aggressive and deserved their victory as Nigeria’s 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign suffered a major setback in BiNigeria Suffer Heavy 3-0 Defeat to Guinea-Bissau as Chelle Admits Hosts Were Better

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle says Guinea-Bissau were more aggressive and deserved their victory as Nigeria’s 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign suffered a major setback in Bissau.

Nigeria’s hopes of securing a place at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations suffered a blow on Tuesday after the Super Eagles were beaten 3-0 by Guinea-Bissau in their second Group L qualifying match.

The hosts dominated large periods of the encounter at the Estádio 24 de Setembro, exposing weaknesses in the Nigerian defence and leaving Eric Chelle to concede after the final whistle that Guinea-Bissau were the better side.

Franculino Djú opened the scoring in the 15th minute, finding the far corner after working his way through the Nigerian defence.

The goal left Nigeria struggling for a response, with the Super Eagles failing to create enough clear-cut opportunities before the break.

Chelle attempted to change the direction of the game at half-time, introducing Moses Usor and Moses Simon for Frank Onyeka and Taiwo Awoniyi.

However, the substitutions failed to produce the desired impact as Guinea-Bissau continued to pose the greater attacking threat.

Mama Baldé doubled the hosts’ advantage in the 66th minute after another penetrating run exposed the Nigerian defence.

Nigeria were unable to find a way back into the contest, and Álvaro Djaló completed the rout by scoring Guinea-Bissau’s third goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Speaking after the match, Chelle admitted that Nigeria had been outplayed.

The Malian tactician also cited the difficult playing conditions at the Estádio 24 de Setembro, including the state of the pitch and the intense heat.

Despite the disappointing performance, Chelle insisted that Nigeria can still recover from the setback, pointing to the Super Eagles’ two upcoming qualifying matches against Tanzania.

“We have two games next against Tanzania and I’m very confident about my team, but today was not good. It’s the first time that I have seen my team like that. We have to go forward,” he said.

The defeat leaves Guinea-Bissau at the top of Group L with six points from two matches, having previously defeated Tanzania 2-0.

Nigeria, meanwhile, have three points from their opening two matches.

The qualification situation is further complicated by Tanzania’s status as one of the three co-hosts of the 2027 AFCON alongside Kenya and Uganda. With the hosts automatically qualifying for the tournament, Nigeria will need to secure the qualifying position available to the highest-ranked eligible non-host team in the group.

The Super Eagles will have an opportunity to revive their campaign during the next qualifying window, scheduled for November 9 to 17, when they face Tanzania twice.

The final two group matches are scheduled for March 2027.

The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be hosted jointly by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, with 24 teams expected to compete in the tournament.ssau.

Nigeria’s hopes of securing a place at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations suffered a blow on Tuesday after the Super Eagles were beaten 3-0 by Guinea-Bissau in their second Group L qualifying match.

The hosts dominated large periods of the encounter at the Estádio 24 de Setembro, exposing weaknesses in the Nigerian defence and leaving Eric Chelle to concede after the final whistle that Guinea-Bissau were the better side.

Franculino Djú opened the scoring in the 15th minute, finding the far corner after working his way through the Nigerian defence.

The goal left Nigeria struggling for a response, with the Super Eagles failing to create enough clear-cut opportunities before the break.

Chelle attempted to change the direction of the game at half-time, introducing Moses Usor and Moses Simon for Frank Onyeka and Taiwo Awoniyi.

However, the substitutions failed to produce the desired impact as Guinea-Bissau continued to pose the greater attacking threat.

Mama Baldé doubled the hosts’ advantage in the 66th minute after another penetrating run exposed the Nigerian defence.

Nigeria were unable to find a way back into the contest, and Álvaro Djaló completed the rout by scoring Guinea-Bissau’s third goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Speaking after the match, Chelle admitted that Nigeria had been outplayed.

“They were more aggressive than us and I think they were better than us,” the coach said.

The Malian tactician also cited the difficult playing conditions at the Estádio 24 de Setembro, including the state of the pitch and the intense heat.

“They know their pitch but for us it was different and very bad. The weather was very hot too, but they had more intensity and we never found the solution,” Chelle added.

Despite the disappointing performance, Chelle insisted that Nigeria can still recover from the setback, pointing to the Super Eagles’ two upcoming qualifying matches against Tanzania.

“We have two games next against Tanzania and I’m very confident about my team, but today was not good. It’s the first time that I have seen my team like that. We have to go forward,” he said.

The defeat leaves Guinea-Bissau at the top of Group L with six points from two matches, having previously defeated Tanzania 2-0.

Nigeria, meanwhile, have three points from their opening two matches.

The qualification situation is further complicated by Tanzania’s status as one of the three co-hosts of the 2027 AFCON alongside Kenya and Uganda. With the hosts automatically qualifying for the tournament, Nigeria will need to secure the qualifying position available to the highest-ranked eligible non-host team in the group.

The Super Eagles will have an opportunity to revive their campaign during the next qualifying window, scheduled for November 9 to 17, when they face Tanzania twice.

The final two group matches are scheduled for March 2027.

The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be hosted jointly by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, with 24 teams expected to compete in the tournament.