Nigeria suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying Group L clash at the Estádio 24 de Setembro in Bissau on Tuesday.
Franculino Djú opened the scoring in the 15th minute before Mama Baldé doubled Guinea-Bissau’s advantage after the break. Álvaro Djaló then completed the victory with a stoppage time third as the Djurtus moved to six points from their opening two matches.
The result leaves Nigeria on three points after two games, having opened their campaign with a 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar in Uyo.
Eric Chelle had warned before kickoff that the encounter would “not be easy”, particularly against a Guinea-Bissau side that had already defeated Tanzania 2-0 in their opening qualifier.
The Super Eagles also went into the match knowing they needed to improve on a Madagascar performance that Chelle himself admitted had not been convincing despite the victory.
Chelle made three changes to his starting XI for the trip to Bissau, with Frank Onyeka, Alex Iwobi and Taiwo Awoniyi coming into the side.
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Bright Osayi-Samuel also replaced Ola Aina at right-back, while George Ilenikhena, who scored on his senior international debut against Madagascar, dropped to the bench.
Nigeria lined up with Wilfred Ndidi, Onyeka and Iwobi in midfield, while Ademola Lookman operated behind Akor Adams and Awoniyi.
But the changes did not prevent Guinea-Bissau from taking control of the opening stages.
The hosts broke the deadlock in the 15th minute when Franculino Djú drove into the Nigerian area, worked his way past Bruno Onyemaechi and curled a left-footed effort into the bottom corner.
Nigeria struggled to find an immediate response, although they came close before half-time when Iwobi created an opportunity for Lookman. Guinea-Bissau goalkeeper Embadjé produced an important save to deny the Nigerian forward.he hosts went into the interval with a 1-0 lead.
Chelle on early reaction changes the attack
Chelle reacted at half time by introducing Moses Usor and Moses Simon for Frank Onyeka and Taiwo Awoniyi.
The changes gave Nigeria greater attacking intent after the restart, but Guinea-Bissau continued to pose a threat whenever they moved forward.
The Djurtus eventually doubled their advantage in the 65th minute when Mama Baldé received the ball from Mamadi Camará before sending a low effort into the bottom corner, leaving Stanley Nwabali unable to prevent the hosts from moving two goals clear.
It was another painful moment for Nigeria against Baldé, who had scored Guinea-Bissau’s winner in their 1-0 victory over the Super Eagles in Abuja during the 2023 AFCON qualifiers.
Chelle responded by bringing Tolu Arokodare on for Lookman in the 68th minute before making two further changes seven minutes later.
Ilenikhena and Raphael Onyedika replaced Adams and captain Ndidi as Nigeria searched for a route back into the contest.
Ilenikhena came close to pulling one back late in the match, but Embadjé again denied him.
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Nigeria pushed forward in search of a goal, but the hosts remained dangerous on the counter.
Guinea-Bissau eventually added a third in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Álvaro Djaló received a through ball from Tamble Monteiro before turning past Osayi-Samuel and calmly finishing.
The goal completed a 3-0 victory and gave Guinea-Bissau back to back wins in Group L.
The final statistics reflected a competitive game in terms of possession and attempts, but Nigeria struggled to make their possession count.
The Super Eagles had 55 per cent of the ball and registered 12 shots, the same number as Guinea-Bissau, while the hosts recorded seven shots on target to Nigeria’s five.
Nigeria left with work to do
The defeat leaves Nigeria three points behind Guinea-Bissau at the top of Group L after two matches.
Madagascar and Tanzania drew 1-1 in the other group fixture, leaving both sides on one point. Tanzania, however, have already secured their place at AFCON 2027 as co-hosts.
For Nigeria, the result represents a setback after the opening-day comeback against Madagascar and gives Chelle another problem to address ahead of the next round of qualifiers.
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The Super Eagles will face Tanzania in a home and away double header in November, with the first meeting scheduled for November 11 before the return fixture four days later.
Before then, Nigeria are due to face Russia in an international friendly in Nizhny Novgorod on October 6.
The Bissau defeat, however, means Chelle’s side will head into that fixture looking to recover from a result that has already complicated their early Group L campaign.
