AFCON 2027 qualifiers: Éric Chelle apologises after Nigeria’s heavy defeat in Guinea-Bissau

29.09.26 FT AFCON - Africa Cup of Nations

Guinea-Bissau

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Nigeria

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Éric Chelle apologised to Nigerian supporters after the Super Eagles’ heavy 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday, during the second round of the AFCON 2027 qualifiers. The coach of Nigeria acknowledged the Djurtus’ superiority and accepted responsibility for the setback.

“I apologise to the supporters. Guinea-Bissau were better than us,” Chelle said after the match.

The French-Malian coach also acknowledged that his team had been dominated in terms of commitment.

“They were more aggressive than us,” he added.

Chelle discusses the state of the pitch

The Nigeria coach also pointed to the state of the pitch at the 24 September Stadium, while refusing to use it as an excuse for the defeat. Nigeria were playing their first match on this pitch.

“It’s not an excuse, but they know their pitch. They usually play on this pitch, but for us, it was the first time and the pitch was very bad,” Chelle explained.

After the break, the coach tried to change his team to bring more pace and penetration on the flanks. These changes did not enable Nigeria to get back into the match.

Nigeria will have to respond against Tanzania

The defeat leaves Nigeria on three points after two rounds, three points behind Guinea-Bissau, who have six points. The Super Eagles had begun their campaign with a 2-1 win over Madagascar.

Read also: AFCON 2027 (Q): Éric Chelle does not want to make things complicated

Chelle nevertheless refuses to consider this defeat the end of Nigeria’s ambitions in these qualifiers. Nigeria will face Tanzania twice in November and will have to pick up points to relaunch their campaign.

“It’s not the end; we still have many matches to play. We have two matches against Tanzania in November, and we must win both,” the coach insisted.

The remainder of the campaign will then offer Nigeria further fixtures against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.

“A lot can still happen,” Chelle concluded.

Nouya M'toama

Editorfr, en

Versatile journalist specializing in sports and political news, with extensive experience across radio, print and digital media platforms.

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