Nigeria and Ghana Face Tough Losses in AFCON Qualifiers

Nigeria and Ghana had a rough night in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Tuesday. They both lost their matches against Guinea-Bissau and The Gambia.

Guinea-Bissau beat Nigeria 3-0 in Group L. Meanwhile, The Gambia made a strong comeback to defeat Ghana 4-2 in Group C.

These results put both Nigeria and Ghana under pressure in their qualifying groups. Guinea-Bissau and The Gambia now have six points each from two matches.

All these details were shared in a post-match release on the CAF website.

Nigeria 0-3 Guinea-Bissau

Nigeria’s chance to build on their opening win over Madagascar took a big hit as Guinea-Bissau won 3-0.

Franculino scored the first goal for Guinea-Bissau after just 15 minutes. Mama Baldé added another goal midway through the second half.

Álvaro Djaló sealed the win in the fifth minute of stoppage time. This victory marked Guinea-Bissau's second win in a row after their 2-0 away win against co-hosts Tanzania.

Nigeria started their campaign with a 2-1 comeback win over Madagascar but could not keep up against Guinea-Bissau. With Tanzania already in the 2027 finals as co-hosts, only the top team from Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, and Madagascar can join them from Group L.

Ghana 2-4 The Gambia

Ghana also faced a tough loss after giving up a two-goal lead against The Gambia.

Ernest Nuamah scored the first goal for Ghana from the penalty spot in the 27th minute. Felix Afena-Gyan then made it 2-0 for the Black Stars six minutes later.

But The Gambia quickly responded. Muhammed Badamosi converted a penalty in the 37th minute. Omar Colley then equalised just five minutes later, sending the teams into halftime tied at 2-2.

Ebrima Colley completed The Gambia’s comeback in the 68th minute and scored again in stoppage time, giving them a 4-2 victory. The Gambia now has six points from two matches, having also beaten Somalia 2-1 in their opening game.

Ghana, on the other hand, has lost both of their opening qualifiers, having previously lost 2-0 away to Côte d’Ivoire.