Guinea-Bissau beat the Super Eagles 3-0 in Bissau
Eric Chelle suffers his first defeat as Nigeria coach, and the AFCON 2027 qualifying race in Group L is suddenly wide open.
By SitesNG Sports Desk · · 2 min read
Four days after a nervy comeback win in Uyo, the Super Eagles came crashing down in West Africa. Guinea-Bissau beat Nigeria 3-0 at the Estadio 24 de Setembro in Bissau on Tuesday 29 September 2026, handing Eric Chelle his first defeat since he took charge of the national team.
The hosts struck early. Franculino Dju, the Trabzonspor forward, scored in the 15th minute, and captain Mama Balde doubled the lead in the 66th. Alvaro Djalo added a third five minutes into stoppage time to complete a night Nigerian fans will want to forget.
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What went wrong
Chelle made three changes from the side that beat Madagascar. Frank Onyeka, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Taiwo Awoniyi came in, while Samuel Chukwueze, Ola Aina and debut scorer George Ilenikhena dropped out, Ilenikhena because of fitness. Victor Osimhen was again missing through injury. At half-time Chelle sent on Moses Usor and Moses Simon, but Nigeria never found a way through. Their best chance came late, when goalkeeper Djoco Embadje saved from Ilenikhena at close range.
“They were more aggressive than us.”
Eric Chelle, speaking after the match
The coach also pointed to the conditions, describing a very poor pitch and heavy heat, while insisting that was not an excuse. He was clear about what comes next: Nigeria, he said, have to win both of their November games.
The Group L picture
Group L is unusual because Tanzania, one of the three co-hosts of AFCON 2027 with Kenya and Uganda, are already qualified. That leaves only one place for the other three teams, so there is no room for a second slip.
| Team | P | W | D | L | Goals | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guinea-Bissau | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5-0 | 6 |
| Nigeria | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2-4 | 3 |
| Madagascar | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2-3 | 1 |
| Tanzania (co-host) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1-3 | 1 |
What comes next
Nigeria host Tanzania in Uyo on 13 November and travel to Dar es Salaam on 17 November. The return games against Guinea-Bissau (at home) and Madagascar (away) follow in March 2027. Before then, Chelle has a friendly against Russia on 6 October in which to test the 13 new faces he has called up.
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Who are Guinea-Bissau?
The Djurtus are no longer minnows. They have played at the last four Africa Cups of Nations (2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023) and opened this campaign with a 2-0 win over co-hosts Tanzania in Zanzibar, when Dju and Balde also scored. Two games, two wins, five goals scored and none conceded: they are the team to catch in Group L.
Nigeria, by contrast, have conceded four goals in their first two matches. Without Osimhen, who has been nursing an adductor strain since early September, the attack created little in Bissau, and the defence that kept things tight in Uyo was opened up three times.
Follow the team on our Super Eagles page and the history of Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Reporting by the SitesNG Sports Desk, based on reports from Channels TV, Premium Times, AfricaSoccer, Legit.ng, AllNigeriaSoccer. Published 29 September 2026 in the African Sports News weekly edition of 30 September 2026.
