The Super Eagles suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match on Tuesday, leaving Nigeria with little room for error in a tricky Group L campaign.
Franculino Djú, Mama Baldé and Djalo all scored for the hosts at the Estádio 24 de Setembro in Bissau to hand Eric Chelle’s side their first defeat of the qualifying series.
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The result is a major setback for Nigeria, who opened their campaign with a 2-1 comeback win over Madagascar in Uyo on Friday.
With Tanzania already assured of a place at the tournament as co-hosts, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar are competing for the group’s only remaining automatic qualifying spot.
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Guinea-Bissau strike first
The hosts took the lead in the 15th minute when Djú found the net, putting Nigeria under early pressure.
The Super Eagles struggled to impose themselves in the first half, while Guinea-Bissau threatened to extend their advantage on the counterattack.
Mama Baldé had an opportunity to increase the hosts’ lead in the 37th minute but sent his effort over the bar. Djú also came close to scoring a second before the break after dribbling past three Nigerian players, only to shoot narrowly over Stanley Nwabali’s goal.
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Nigeria went into the interval trailing by a goal, with Chelle needing to find a response from his players.
Super Eagles fail to bounce back
Nigeria began the second half with greater urgency, and Moses Simon and Moses Usor combined to create an opportunity shortly after the restart.
Simon’s cross found Usor, but the forward’s effort was too tame to trouble Guinea-Bissau goalkeeper Fernando Embadje.
Simon also tested the goalkeeper with an attempt from Usor’s header, but Nigeria could not convert their improved spell into an equaliser.
The hosts punished the visitors in the 66th minute when Baldé doubled their advantage, leaving the Super Eagles facing an uphill task.
READ ALSO: Four Super Eagles stars who could decide Nigeria’s AFCON Qualifier against Guinea-Bissau
Chelle introduced further attacking options in search of a way back into the contest. Still, Nigeria failed to find a response as Guinea-Bissau added another goal in stoppage time for a valuable victory.
A challenging path to AFCON 2027
The defeat complicates Nigeria’s qualification campaign, particularly with the group offering only one automatic ticket beyond co-hosts Tanzania.
Guinea-Bissau, who also defeated Tanzania 2-0 in their opening fixture, have now strengthened their position in the race for the remaining place.
For Nigeria, the loss raises the stakes ahead of their remaining Group L matches. Having surrendered the opportunity to build on their opening-day victory, the Super Eagles must now regroup and deliver more consistent performances to keep their qualification hopes on track.
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will co-host the 2027 AFCON.
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