Super Eagles: 3 questions Nwabali must answer after Guinea-Bissau nightmare

Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali went from being one of Nigeria’s heroes against Madagascar to enduring a difficult evening in the 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau, Afrik-Foot reports.

The Chippa United goalkeeper had earned praise from Eric Chelle and former Super Eagles attacker Victor Ikpeba after producing an important second-half save in Friday’s 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar.

Chelle specifically highlighted the intervention, while Ikpeba went further by describing Nwabali as Nigeria’s number one goalkeeper ahead of Maduka Okoye.

“He showed that attribute again, the belief, the determination, ‘I’m going to stop the lad’. Yes, the Madagascar attacker should have done better,” Ikpeba added.

“He saved our blushes because in that moment, if it was 2-1, you don’t know what would have been the outcome of this game. The score might have ended 2-2, or we lose 2-1.”

Four days later, however, Nwabali was beaten three times as Guinea-Bissau recorded a convincing victory in Bissau.

Franculino Dju opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a curling effort into the far corner, before Mama Baldé doubled the hosts’ advantage in the second half. Álvaro Djaló then added a third in stoppage time.

The result was certainly not entirely Nwabali’s fault, with Nigeria’s defensive structure repeatedly exposing him, but his performance does raise three questions that Chelle will need to consider.

Super Eagles: 3 questions Stanley Nwabali must answer

1. Could Nwabali have done more for the first two goals?

This is the biggest question from his individual performance. For the opener, Franculino was allowed to progress beyond Bruno Onyemaechi before curling his effort beyond Nwabali. The goalkeeper simply stood and was criticised for his positioning.

The second goal presents a similar discussion. Mama Baldé found space on Bright Osayi-Samuel’s blind side before placing his effort into the bottom corner, with Nwabali remaining still, unable to make a save.

Neither goal should be considered solely a goalkeeping error because the players in front of him gave the Guinea-Bissau attackers too much freedom, but that is precisely where Nwabali must ask himself whether he could have offered Nigeria more.

2. Can Nwabali provide a presence of authority when Nigeria are under pressure?

The Guinea-Bissau game was a completely different test from Madagascar.

Nigeria enjoyed 55% ball possession but were vulnerable whenever the hosts attacked, with Guinea-Bissau registering seven shots on target from 12 attempts. Nigeria managed five shots on target from the same number of attempts.

A goalkeeper cannot be expected to rescue every defensive breakdown.

However, when the backline is struggling, Nigeria need their goalkeeper to become an additional source of security.

That was one area where Nwabali struggled in Bissau. His saves were not enough to change the momentum of the game, and the Super Eagles never looked capable of recovering after falling behind.

3. Has the goalkeeper competition reopened?

This is perhaps the most significant question for Chelle. Nwabali had strengthened his case to start after his performance against Madagascar, particularly with Okoye and Arthur Okonkwo also in the squad.

But the Guinea-Bissau display means the conversation cannot simply end there.

Okonkwo has already kept two clean sheets in his two senior appearances for Nigeria, while Okoye remains another experienced option.

Nwabali remains an important goalkeeper for the Super Eagles, but his latest performance has reminded Chelle that the position requires consistent excellence.

The challenge now is whether Nwabali can respond in the same way he did after previous setbacks and make his Madagascar performance the rule rather than the exception.