Eric Chelle Admits Guinea-Bissau Were Better After Super Eagles’ Humiliating Defeat

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle admitted Guinea-Bissau were the better side after Nigeria suffered a 3-0 defeat in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier in Bissau on Tuesday.

Guinea-Bissau took control at the Estádio 24 de Setembro and opened the scoring in the 15th minute through Franculino Djú, who worked his way through the Nigerian defence before curling the ball into the far corner.

Nigeria struggled to respond before half-time, prompting Chelle to introduce Moses Usor and Moses Simon for Frank Onyeka and Taiwo Awoniyi at the start of the second half.

However, the changes failed to shift the balance of the match as Mama Baldé doubled Guinea-Bissau’s lead in the 66th minute after another penetrating run exposed the Nigerian defence.

Álvaro Djaló completed the scoring in the fifth minute of stoppage time to hand Guinea-Bissau a convincing win and leave Nigeria with three points from their opening two Group L matches.

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

The Malian coach also cited the conditions at the Estádio 24 de Setembro, including the pitch and intense heat, as factors that made the match more difficult for Nigeria.

“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,” he added.

Despite the defeat, Chelle remains confident Nigeria can recover in their next two qualifiers 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.

Guinea-Bissau now lead Group L with six points from two matches after previously beating Tanzania 2-0, while Nigeria have three points.

With Tanzania already guaranteed a place at the 2027 AFCON as a co-host, Nigeria must finish as the highest-ranked non-host nation in the group to qualify.

The next qualifying window is scheduled for November 9 to 17, with the final two matches to be played in March 2027. The 2027 AFCON will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, with 24 teams expected to participate.