Nigeria went to Bissau top of nobody's list of teams likely to lose 3-0, and left having done exactly that. Guinea-Bissau beat the Super Eagles by three clear goals at the Estádio 24 de Setembro on Tuesday evening, and there is no reading of the ninety minutes that makes it flattering to the visitors.
The Djurtus were ahead inside a quarter of an hour, added a second just after the hour, and finished the job deep into stoppage time. Eric Chelle's side never looked like scoring.
Three goals, three different kinds of problem
Franculino Dju opened it in the 15th minute, finishing a pass from Nhaga. Nigeria had time after that — more than seventy minutes of it — and the first half slipped away without an equaliser despite plenty of possession and a clear intention to take control of the game. Chelle made attacking changes at the break and they changed nothing. Guinea-Bissau simply held their shape and let Nigeria run into it.
The second arrived in the 66th minute, Balde finishing after Camara had set him up. That is the goal that turned an awkward night into a bad one. And then, in the fifth minute of added time, with Nigeria pushed forward and the game already gone, Álvaro Djaló struck from a Tamble pass to make it three.
The Super Eagles had beaten Madagascar 2-1 in Uyo in their opening fixture and Alex Iwobi took man of the match there. Four days later they could not put a shot away in Bissau.
Group L is now a genuine problem
Guinea-Bissau sit top with six points from two games, having also beaten Tanzania 2-0 in their opener. Nigeria have three. Madagascar and Tanzania have one each after drawing 1-1 on the same evening, which at least keeps the bottom of the group congested, but it does not help Nigeria much: the team they were expected to be clear of is now three points ahead with a goal difference nobody is going to catch quickly.
Head-to-head history offered no warning. Before Tuesday, Nigeria had won three of the four meetings between the countries and Guinea-Bissau one, with no draws. That record is now a little less comfortable.
Chelle's squad problem was real, but it is not the whole answer
Victor Osimhen missed both September fixtures with a muscle injury and that absence matters. Chelle named a 24-man squad that included Wilfred Ndidi, Stanley Nwabali, Iwobi, Semi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey, Ola Aina, Ademola Lookman and Bright Osayi-Samuel, with George Ilenikhena, Tolu Arokodare and Akor Adams listed as doubtful going into the window. That is still a squad that should not lose 3-0 to Guinea-Bissau.
What will bother Nigerian supporters more than the missing striker is the shape of the defeat. No goals scored. Three conceded, spread across the game. A second half in which substitutions made the team worse rather than better. Chelle has a qualifying campaign to rescue and the margin for another night like this has just disappeared.
Match facts: Guinea-Bissau 3-0 Nigeria, 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, Group L, Estádio 24 de Setembro, Bissau, Tuesday 29 September 2026. Goals: Franculino Dju 15 (assist Nhaga), Balde 66 (assist Camara), Djaló 90+5 (assist Tamble). Group L after two rounds: Guinea-Bissau 6 points, Nigeria 3, Madagascar 1, Tanzania 1. Elsewhere in the group on the same night: Madagascar 1-1 Tanzania. Victor Osimhen missed the window with a muscle injury.
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