Guinea-Bissau Were Better Than Us — Chelle

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has admitted that Guinea-Bissau were better than Nigeria in Tuesday’s 3-0 defeat in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture.

Chelle made the admission after the Super Eagles suffered a disappointing loss at the 24 de Setembro National Stadium in Bissau.

Nigeria struggled to impose themselves on the game, with Guinea-Bissau taking control early and eventually securing a convincing victory.

Franculino Djú opened the scoring for the hosts in the 15th minute, curling a left-footed effort beyond Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali.

The Super Eagles attempted to respond before half-time, with Ademola Lookman coming close after being set up by Alex Iwobi, but Guinea-Bissau goalkeeper Djoco Embadjé made an important save.

Chelle made changes after the break as Nigeria sought an equaliser, bringing on Moses Simon and Moses Usor to increase the attacking threat.

However, Guinea-Bissau continued to look dangerous and doubled their advantage in the 66th minute through Mama Baldé.

Nigeria struggled to create clear opportunities and could not find a way back into the contest. George Ilenikhena came close late in the game, but his effort was again denied by Embadjé.

Álvaro Djaló then completed the victory for the hosts in the fifth minute of stoppage time, sealing a 3-0 result.

Reflecting on the performance, Chelle said Guinea-Bissau showed greater aggression and intensity and admitted that Nigeria failed to find solutions during the match.

The coach also pointed to the difficult playing conditions, including the state of the pitch and the hot weather, but said those factors should not be used to avoid responsibility for the defeat.

Chelle apologised to Nigerian supporters and said the team must accept responsibility for the result.

The defeat leaves Nigeria with three points from two Group L matches, after the Super Eagles opened their campaign with a 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar.

Guinea-Bissau, meanwhile, moved to six points after recording their second consecutive victory, having defeated Tanzania in their opening match.

Chelle said the result was not the end of Nigeria’s qualification campaign, with four matches still to play.

The Super Eagles are scheduled to face Tanzania twice in November before hosting Guinea-Bissau in a later Group L fixture.

Before the next competitive matches, Nigeria will face Russia in an international friendly on October 6.