Guinea-Bissau were better than us – Chelle - Punch Newspapers
Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle admitted Guinea-Bissau were the better side after Nigeria slumped to a 3-0 defeat in their second 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Bissau on Tuesday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. The Eagles were second best for long periods after Franculino Djú put the hosts ahead in the 15th minute, curling into the far corner after working his way through the Nigerian defence. Nigeria struggled to create a response before the interval, prompting Chelle to make a double change at the restart, with Moses Usor and Moses Simon replacing Frank Onyeka and Taiwo Awoniyi. The changes failed to alter the contest, however, as Mama Baldé doubled Guinea-Bissau’s advantage in the 66th minute after another penetrating run exposed the Nigerian defence. Álvaro Djaló then put the result beyond doubt when he added a third in the fifth minute of stoppage time.See more Punch stories on Google.Add Punch on Google “They were more aggressive than us and I think they were better than us,” Chelle said after the game. The Malian coach also pointed to the playing conditions at the Estádio 24 de Setembro, saying the pitch and intense heat made the encounter more difficult for his side. “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. Iheanacho named best player in Turkey Ilenikhena targets more goals after Eagles breakthrough Hapless Eagles stumble into fresh qualifying struggle Despite the heavy defeat, Chelle remains confident Nigeria can recover 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 leaves Guinea-Bissau top of Group L with six points from two matches, following their earlier 2-0 victory over Tanzania, while Nigeria have three points from their opening two games. With Tanzania already guaranteed a place at the 2027 AFCON as co-hosts, the Eagles will need to finish as the highest-ranked non-host nation in the group to secure qualification. Nigeria will have an opportunity to revive their campaign during the next qualifying window from November 9 to 17, before the final two matches are played in March 2027. The 2027 AFCON will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, with 24 teams set to feature in the tournament. Abiodun Adewale Abiodun, who reports Sports for PUNCH, covers different tiers of the Nigerian football league, the national teams, as well as cricket, in the last six years
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