Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, has suffered his first competitive defeat in regulation time since he was hired by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in January 2025.
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Subscribe FreeThe Malian tactician saw his side lose 3-0 to Guinea-Bissau in the second 2027 AFCON qualifying match on Tuesday.
Goals from Franculino Djú, Mama Baldé and Álvaro Djaló gave the Djurtus maximum points against a sloppy Eagles side, who were largely dominated by the home side at the Estádio Nacional 24 de Setembro in Bissau.
Chelle’sRecord: JustOneDefeat
Since his first game as head coach, Eric Chelle had gone unbeaten in regulation time in every competitive game until yesterday's encounter.
His only previous defeats came on penalties, against DR Congo in the 2026 World Cup playoff final and Morocco in the 2025 AFCON semi-final.
His first competitive game against Rwanda in 2025 ended 2-0 in Nigeria’s favour as a brace from Victor Osimhen ensured he had a bright start to his managerial spell with Nigeria.
Chelle’s Reaction Says It All
Reacting to his team’s uninspiring performance in Bissau, Eric apologised for the outcome of the game.
According to him during the post-match interview, Guinea-Bissau were the better side and they deserved the victory.
“I apologise to the fans. They were more aggressive than us and I think they were better than us,” he said.
Despite admitting the opponent’s superiority on the day, the former Mali head coach highlighted a poor pitch and unfavourable weather as reasons for the defeat.
“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,”
Nonetheless, Eric promised his players will improve and qualify ahead of Guinea-Bissau, who top Group L with six points from two games.
“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 concluded.
RussiaFriendlyComesNext
The Super Eagles will turn their attention to the Russia friendly, scheduled for Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.
It will be the second meeting between both nations, following a 1-1 draw at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on June 6, 2025. The game will be executed by a squad largely dominated by U23 players.
