Super Eagles: 3 players who could have made a difference against Guinea-Bissau

The Super Eagles suffered a major setback in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign after Guinea-Bissau handed them a 3-0 defeat in Bissau on Tuesday, Afrik-Foot reports.

Nigeria went into the game looking to build on their 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar in their opening Group L fixture, but they were unable to produce another positive result.

Instead, the Djurtus took control of the game and punished Nigeria in the encounter. Franculino Dju opened the scoring in the 15th minute after cutting inside from the right before curling an excellent finish beyond Stanley Nwabali.

Ft in Bissau pic.twitter.com/SEuNb6gs7y

— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) September 29, 2026

Mama Balde doubled Guinea-Bissau’s advantage in the 66th minute, before Alvaro Djalo added a third to complete a memorable 3-0 victory for Guinea-Bissau.

The result leaves Nigeria on three points from their opening two matches, three points behind Guinea-Bissau, who have won both of their games.

With Tanzania already guaranteed a place at the 2027 AFCON as one of the co-hosts, only one qualification spot is available from Group L. That makes Nigeria’s defeat even more costly, as the Super Eagles now have little room for more mistakes in the remaining fixtures.

While several players struggled in Bissau, there were also some notable absences from the team that could have changed the balance of the game.

Three players who could have made a difference for the Super Eagles against Guinea-Bissau

1. Victor Osimhen

Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen was greatly missed in the shock loss to the Djurtus. The striker was initially included in Chelle’s squad, but the Nigeria Football Federation later confirmed that he would miss both the qualifiers as he continued his recovery from an injury.

Osimhen’s presence would not have guaranteed a different result, but his ability upfront could have given the team a different dimension and has become Nigeria’s most trusted attacker over the last few years.

The 27-year-old has also made a brilliant start to the season with six goals in four games and could have brought that skill level to the game. Instead, the Super Eagles struggled to threaten the Guinea-Bissau defence in the clash.

Taiwo Awoniyi and Akor Adams struggled upfront and were replaced early as Chelle looked to change the game.

His presence would have also given Nigeria a focal point in attack and they will be hopeful of having him back in time for their next round of qualifiers.

2. Ola Aina

Ola Aina is another player who could have made a difference in the clash. He started the win over Madagascar, but Chelle opted for a different approach against Guinea-Bissau, which allowed Bright Osayi-Samuel start instead.

However, that decision proved very costly as the Birmingham City defender struggled throughout his time on the pitch. He struggled to contain Guinea-Bissau’s attacking players and was exposed during some of the hosts’ most dangerous moments.

Mama Balde exploited the space behind him before scoring Guinea-Bissau’s second goal, while Alvaro Djalo also attacked the same side before adding the third in stoppage time.

Aina could have made a difference in that position and would offer more in the attacking aspect than Osayi-Samuel did during the game.

3. Maduka Okoye

Okoye another player who could have made a difference in the clash, as Stanley Nwabali did very little to prevent all three of Guinea-Bissau goals.

The Udinese goalkeeper arrived late to camp for the qualifiers which ultimately saw him miss out to Nwabali, who had returned to the team for the first time since the 2025 AFCON tournament.

While Nwabali made some important saves during the game, there were also moments when he could have done better.

He was beaten by Dju’s curling effort for the first goal and could have done better for the other two goals, while Okoye could have done much better, as he showed recently during the Super Eagles’ friendlies against Poland and Portugal in June.

Nigeria must now regroup and hope to return to winning ways when they face Tanzania over two legs in November in their next round of qualifiers.