Guinea-Bissau Thrash Super Eagles 3-0 as Nigeria’s AFCON Campaign Takes Major Hit
Nigeria suffered a shocking 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in their 2027 AFCON qualifier, allowing Guinea-Bissau to take sole leadership of Group L. The Super Eagles' performance drew heavy criticism from fans and coach Eric Chelle, highlighting a challenging path ahead for qualification.
Guinea-Bissau moved to the top of Group L in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiersafter defeating Nigeria’s Super Eagles 3-0 in Bissau on Tuesday. Both teams entered the encounter with three points from their opening fixtures, but the Djurtus produced a more effective performance at the Estádio 24 de Setembro, handing Nigeria their first defeat of the qualifying campaign.
The result leaves Guinea-Bissau on six points from two matches, while Nigeria remain on three after their opening 2-1 comeback win over Madagascar. Guinea-Bissau took control in the 15th minute when Franculino Djú created space before curling a left-footed effort into the far corner beyond Stanley Nwabali.
Nigeria struggled to turn possession into clear chances, and although the Super Eagles made changes after the interval, the hosts remained dangerous and doubled their advantage through Mama Baldé in the 66th minute.
Nigeria continued searching for a response, but Álvaro Djaló struck in the fifth minute of stoppage time to complete the 3-0 victory, with the hosts recording seven shots on target to Nigeria’s five despite the Super Eagles having 55 per cent possession.
The defeat has intensified the pressure on Nigeria in a group where Tanzania’s status as a co-host of AFCON 2027 means only one additional team can qualify automatically from Group L. Post-match reaction in Nigeria included strong criticism of the team and individual players, while Coach Éric Chelle acknowledged that Guinea-Bissau were more aggressive and showed greater personality, adding that the difficult playing conditions could not serve as an excuse.
With Victor Osimhen absent, Chelle also acknowledged the challenge created by Nigeria’s dependence on the striker, while stressing the need for the team to remain objective and focused as the campaign continues. Nigeria’s next scheduled fixture is an international friendly against Russia on October 6, before the qualifying campaign resumes with further Group L matches.