Chelle admits Guinea-Bissau outplayed us

Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle said Guinea-Bissau played better after Nigeria lost 3-0 in their second 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Bissau on Tuesday, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.

The Eagles struggled for long periods after Franculino Djú scored in the 15th minute, curling his shot into the far corner after dodging the Nigerian defence.

Nigeria could not respond before halftime. This led Chelle to make two changes at the start of the second half. Moses Usor and Moses Simon came in for Frank Onyeka and Taiwo Awoniyi.

But the changes did not help as Mama Baldé scored Guinea-Bissau’s second goal in the 66th minute. His run again exposed the Nigerian defence.

Álvaro Djaló sealed the win by scoring the third goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

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

Chelle also talked about the tough playing conditions at the Estádio 24 de Setembro. He said the pitch and the intense heat made things harder for his team.

“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.

Even with the loss, Chelle believes Nigeria can bounce back 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.

The result puts Guinea-Bissau at the top of Group L with six points from two matches, after their earlier 2-0 win over Tanzania. Nigeria, on the other hand, has three points from their first two games.

With Tanzania already set for the 2027 AFCON as co-hosts, the Eagles need to be the highest-ranked non-host nation in the group to qualify.

Nigeria will have a chance to turn things around during the next qualifying window from November 9 to 17. The final two matches will take place in March 2027.

The 2027 AFCON will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, with 24 teams set to compete in the tournament.