Super Eagles: 3 shocking decisions Eric Chelle made in Nigeria’s 3-0 loss to Guinea-Bissau

Eric Chelle’s tenure as Super Eagles head coach suffered a major setback on Tuesday as Nigeria were beaten 3-0 by Guinea-Bissau in their second game of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Afrik-Foot reports.

Given Nigeria’s pedigree, they entered that game as favourites, but they were humbled by a resolute and disciplined Guinea-Bissau side. Strikes from Dju Franculino, Mama Balde, and Alvaro Djalo sealed the deal for the Djurtus on the night.

For Nigeria, the defeat was not simply about individual mistakes. The Super Eagles’ approach raised questions about team selection, attacking balance and Chelle’s ability to adjust when his initial plan failed.

In this article, Afrik-Foot writes on three decisions from coach Chelle which stood out and were possibly the reason Nigeria lost the game.

1. Starting Akor Adams And Keeping Him On For 76 minutes

There was a reasonable argument for starting Akor Adams. With Victor Osimhen unavailable, Chelle needed a striker capable of occupying Guinea-Bissau’s centre-backs and providing a physical presence in the box. Starting Adams alongside Taiwo Awoniyi was an attempt to give Nigeria two attacking reference points and create a physical advantage against the hosts.

The problem was that the partnership produced very little. Adams struggled to connect the midfield with the attack and rarely threatened the space behind Guinea-Bissau’s defence. That became increasingly problematic because Nigeria’s attacking structure depended on the two forwards creating room for Ademola Lookman underneath them.

Instead, the hosts could defend relatively narrowly because there was insufficient movement to force their back line into difficult decisions. Once Nigeria fell behind, the tactical requirement changed.

The Super Eagles no longer needed two conventional central forwards occupying similar areas. They needed movement, width and players capable of stretching the game.

Chelle responded by introducing Moses Simon and Moses Usor at half-time, but remarkably kept Adams on. And of course, he failed to impact the game.

Adams eventually made way for George Ilenikhena in the 76th minute, but by then Guinea-Bissau were 2-0 ahead and had little reason to take risks.

How things stand for the super Eagles in Group L of the AFCON 27 Qualifiers🇳🇬

To guarantee qualification, Nigeria must win all remaining games convincingly. Since there is the possibility of a tie, they also have to beat Guinea-Bissau by 3 or more goals in the second leg #AFCONq pic.twitter.com/aohzTZBHB0

— Afrik-Foot NG (@AfrikFootNG) September 29, 2026

Adams has struggled with Venezia this season, and he brought that form to the Super Eagles camp. He already showed signs that he is not at his best during the game against Madagascar. So, his display against the Djurtus was not much of a surprise.

2. Leaving Ola Aina Out Of The Starting XI

Chelle’s decision to leave Ola Aina on the bench was also significant because of the type of match Nigeria were walking into.

Guinea-Bissau were never likely to dominate possession for long periods. Their danger was going to come from transitions, direct attacks and exploiting the spaces Nigeria left behind when they pushed forward.

That makes defensive recovery and one-on-one defending particularly important. Aina’s versatility would have been useful in precisely those situations.

He can defend as a conventional full-back, tuck inside during possession and recover quickly when the team loses the ball. Those qualities can be particularly valuable against opponents who look to counter into the channels.

Instead, Chelle selected Bright Osayi-Samuel at right-back. Osayi-Samuel offered attacking energy, but Nigeria’s defensive structure became increasingly vulnerable on that side. Guinea-Bissau repeatedly found opportunities to attack the spaces around Nigeria’s full-backs, particularly when the Super Eagles committed numbers forward.

Mama Baldé coming through with a special finish against Nigeria. 😮‍💨🇬🇼

A 3-0 win for Guinea-Bissau in the #TotalEnergiesAFCON2027 Qualifiers. pic.twitter.com/lpFibmE6e7

— CAF (@CAF_Online) September 29, 2026

The second goal showed the danger. Baldé was able to attack from the right side before finding the finish, while Djaló later exploited space in the same general area for the third.

Considering how the game went, Aina’s ability to provide defensive security and positional flexibility could have been valuable.

3. Playing Ademola Lookman as the No. 10

Chelle’s decision to use Lookman behind Adams and Awoniyi was perhaps the most interesting tactical choice because it attempted to solve one problem while creating another.

The idea was understandable. Lookman is one of Nigeria’s most technically gifted attackers, so putting him centrally could theoretically give him more touches in dangerous areas and allow him to play closer to goal.

But the system did not create the conditions he needed. Lookman’s biggest strengths come when he has space to accelerate, attack defenders and combine around the penalty area. Playing centrally against a compact Guinea-Bissau defence meant he was frequently receiving the ball with limited room to turn.

More importantly, the two strikers ahead of him did not stretch the defensive line enough.

That allowed Guinea-Bissau’s midfield and defence to remain compact, reducing the spaces in which Lookman could operate.

The result was that Nigeria effectively took one of their most dangerous attackers out of the areas where he could cause the most damage.

This is where the tactical issue becomes more significant than Lookman’s individual performance.

If Chelle wanted Lookman centrally, Nigeria needed the movements around him to create space — either through forwards running behind the defence or midfielders making aggressive runs beyond him.

That did not happen consistently. Chelle also waited until the 68th minute to replace Lookman, by which time Guinea-Bissau had already established a 2-0 advantage.

Chelle’s system failed to create the conditions in which Lookman could have a good game.