Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has admitted Guinea-Bissau were the superior side after Nigeria’s 3-0 defeat in Bissau on September 29.
Speaking after the Group L AFCON 2027 qualifier at the Estádio Nacional 24 de Setembro, Chelle said his team lacked aggression and intensity.
“They were more aggressive than us,” Chelle stated. “You know, when you try to play, when you try to score, when you try to make a goal, you need to have this aggressivity in your state of mind to make the difference. And I think that they were better than us in the first half.” abda
The coach also pointed to playing conditions, while refusing to use them as an excuse. “They were more aggressive than us, they were better than us,” he said. “Though this is not an excuse, they know their pitch. They usually play on this pitch, but for us, it was the first time, and the pitch was very bad. The weather was very hot too.”
“So Guinea-Bissau entered the game more motivated and more aggressive. They put more intensity, and we never found a solution.”
Franculino Djú opened scoring in the 15th minute, Mama Baldé doubled the lead in the 66th, and Álvaro Djaló sealed it in stoppage time. The result leaves Guinea-Bissau top of Group L with six points, while Nigeria have three after their opening 2-1 win over Madagascar.
Chelle added: “We tried to go forward after halftime, to bring something new but after 10 minutes we stopped and I don’t know why.”