Nigeria Lose 3-0 to Guinea-Bissau and Put AFCON Qualification Under Pressure
The Super Eagles of Nigeria suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture, putting their qualification hopes in a precarious position. Goals from Franculino Djú, Mama Baldé, and Álvaro Djaló secured a dominant victory for Guinea-Bissau, who now lead Group L. Coach Eric Chelle cited the opponent's aggression, poor pitch conditions, and extreme heat as contributing factors to the team's performance. The Super Eagles now face an uphill battle, needing to win all remaining fixtures convincingly to secure a qualification spot.
Nigeria's 2027 Africa Cup of Nations campaign took a sharp turn on Tuesday as the Super Eagles lost 3-0 to Guinea-Bissau in Bissau.
Franculino Djú, Mama Baldé and Álvaro Djaló scored for the hosts at the Estádio 24 de Setembro, handing Éric Chelle his first defeat as Nigeria coach and leaving Guinea-Bissau alone at the top of Group L.
Nigeria had opened the qualifiers with a 2-1 comeback win over Madagascar in Uyo. This time, there was no recovery.
Guinea-Bissau took control early
Djú opened the scoring in the 15th minute, creating space before curling his shot into the far corner.
Nigeria had chances to respond. Ademola Lookman was denied by goalkeeper Djoco Embadjé before half-time, but the Super Eagles struggled to build sustained pressure.
Chelle changed two players at the break, bringing on Moses Usor and Moses Simon for Frank Onyeka and Taiwo Awoniyi.
It did little to change the game.
Baldé doubled the lead in the 66th minute after getting behind Bright Osayi-Samuel and finishing into the bottom corner. Nigeria made more changes, with George Ilenikhena and Raphael Onyedika later replacing Akor Adams and Wilfred Ndidi.
Ilenikhena came close to pulling one back, but Embadjé saved again.
Then, in the fifth minute of stoppage time, Djaló added a third to complete Guinea-Bissau's biggest win over Nigeria.
Nigeria have already lost ground
The result changes the shape of Group L.
Guinea-Bissau have six points from two matches, having beaten Tanzania 2-0 in their opening game. Nigeria have three points from their win over Madagascar, while Madagascar remain without a point after two matches.
Tanzania are one of the 2027 AFCON co-hosts and are therefore already guaranteed a place at the tournament. That means only one qualifying place is available to the other three teams in Group L.
Nigeria still have plenty of matches left, but they now have little room for another slip.
The loss is also Nigeria's second defeat to Guinea-Bissau in AFCON qualifying. The Djurtus previously beat the Super Eagles 1-0 in Abuja during the 2023 qualifiers.
Chelle admits Nigeria were second best
Chelle did not hide from the performance after the match.
The coach acknowledged that Guinea-Bissau were the better side, while pointing to the poor playing surface and difficult weather conditions as factors that affected Nigeria's performance.
But the bigger issue was how little Nigeria managed to do with the ball.
The Super Eagles had possession and created opportunities, yet Guinea-Bissau were more direct when openings appeared. Nigeria also struggled to respond after going behind, leaving the hosts increasingly comfortable as the match went on.
Osimhen's absence was noticeable
Victor Osimhen was unavailable for the match after suffering a groin injury with Galatasaray.
His absence put more responsibility on Awoniyi and Adams, but neither could give Nigeria the attacking presence they needed. Ilenikhena looked more dangerous after coming on, although his late effort was saved.
Nigeria now have to regroup quickly.
The next stages of the campaign will require more than simply recovering from one bad night. Guinea-Bissau have shown they can take advantage of Nigeria's mistakes, and with only one qualification place available from the group, the Super Eagles cannot afford to keep giving their rivals opportunities to pull away.