Chelle Reacts After Super Eagles Suffer Heavy Defeat to Guinea-Bissau
Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle has expressed his disappointment after Nigeria suffered a 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match on Tuesday.
Nigeria went into the game as favourites but struggled from the start at the Estádio 24 de Setembro in Bissau.
The hosts took control of the match and punished Nigeria with goals from Franculino Djú, Mama Baldé and Álvaro Djaló.
The defeat has made Nigeria’s qualification campaign more difficult. Guinea-Bissau now lead the group by three points, while Nigeria remain in second place with a poorer goal difference.
Only the team that finishes top of the group is guaranteed automatic qualification.
Speaking after the match, Chelle admitted that Guinea-Bissau were the better side and criticised the Super Eagles’ lack of intensity.
“They were more aggressive than us; they were better than us,” Chelle said.
The coach also mentioned the condition of the pitch and the hot weather but stressed that they were not excuses for the result.
“Though this is no excuse, they know their pitch. They play on it regularly, whereas for us, it was the first time—and the pitch was in very bad shape. The weather was extremely hot as well.”
Chelle said Guinea-Bissau started the match with greater determination and Nigeria failed to respond.
“Guinea-Bissau started the game with greater motivation and aggression. They played with higher intensity, and we never found an answer.”
The French-Malian coach added that Nigeria tried to change the game after the break but could not maintain the momentum.
“We tried to push forward after halftime to introduce something fresh, but after ten minutes, the momentum stalled, and I don’t know why.”
Nigeria now face a difficult task in their remaining qualifiers.
The Super Eagles will need strong results in their upcoming matches, including the return fixture against Guinea-Bissau.
The return match will be particularly important because head-to-head results are used by CAF when teams finish level on points. Nigeria’s 3-0 defeat means they would need a significant win in the return fixture to improve their position in that comparison.
The qualifiers will resume in November, when Nigeria are scheduled to face Tanzania in a double-header before the final round of matches in 2027.
Chelle will now be expected to improve the team’s performance ahead of the crucial fixtures, while Nigeria will also hope to have key players, including Victor Osimhen, available for the decisive matches.
