Nigeria’s Super Eagles suffered a major setback in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign after Guinea-Bissau secured a 3-0 victory in Bissau on Tuesday.
The Group L encounter at the Estádio 24 de Setembro saw the hosts take control early, with Franculino Djú opening the scoring in the 15th minute. Nigeria struggled to respond as Guinea-Bissau maintained pressure and created opportunities against Eric Chelle’s side.
The hosts doubled their advantage in the 66th minute when Mama Baldé found the net, leaving the Super Eagles with a difficult task in the closing stages.
Nigeria made changes in an attempt to get back into the game, including the introduction of Moses Usor and Moses Simon. The visitors also came close to reducing the deficit when George Ilenikhena was denied by Guinea-Bissau goalkeeper Djoco Embadje in the 87th minute.
Guinea-Bissau completed the victory deep into stoppage time, with Álvaro Djaló scoring in the fifth minute of added time to make it 3-0.
The result leaves Guinea-Bissau top of Group L with six points from two matches, while Nigeria remain on three points following their opening 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar in Uyo. Madagascar and Tanzania drew 1-1 in the other group fixture.
The defeat is Nigeria’s first of the qualifying campaign and represents the first loss suffered by coach Eric Chelle since taking charge of the Super Eagles, according to reports. It also gives Guinea-Bissau an early advantage in the race for the group’s automatic qualification place.
The setback is particularly significant because Tanzania, one of the tournament’s co-hosts, already has an automatic place at the 2027 AFCON. Nigeria must therefore recover in their remaining fixtures to strengthen their qualification chances.
The Super Eagles will next face Tanzania in November before continuing their Group L campaign. The 2027 AFCON finals will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, with the tournament scheduled for June 19 to July 17, 2027.
