Duro Ikhazuagbe
Super Eagles Head Coach, Éric Chelle, has attributed Nigeria’s crushing defeat against Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday to three main reasons, citing adverse weather conditions, a poor playing surface, and a clear lack of aggression from his players.
Speaking at the post match after the three-time African champions suffered their heaviest 3-0 defeat against an opponent from the continent in an AFCON 2027 qualifier, Chelle, admitted that the Wild Dogs were more adventurous than his Eagles.
“They were more aggressive than us; they were better than us. Guinea-Bissau started the game with greater motivation and aggression. They played with higher intensity, and we never found an answer.
“We tried to push forward after halftime to introduce something fresh, but after ten minutes, the momentum stalled, and I don’t know why,” Chelle admitted in his post-match analysis of the 2027 AFCON Group L match-day two fixture in Bissau.
Although the Franco-Malian gaffer also pointed at the poor pitch of the Estádio 24 de Setembro as what did not allow his wards to be able to express themselves. A top official of the team confirmed a near-revolt situation in the Super Eagles dressing room hours before kickoff of the match. Four top players, namely Ola Aina, Samuel Chukwueze, George Ilenikhena and Ademola Lookman, indicated their desires not to play on that turf for fear of going back home with injuries.
“Though this is no excuse, they know their pitch. They play on it regularly, whereas for us, it was the first time—and the pitch was in very bad shape. The weather was extremely hot as well,” Chelle told reporters that Tuesday night.
With Guinea-Bissau now firmly at the driver’s seat of Group L on six points with Nigeria on three, Super Eagles will need some catching up to do by winning the double header against Tanzania in November.
And because of CAF’s rule that places Head-to-Head above goals difference in case of tie of two teams, Super Eagles must win the reverse fixture with Guinea-Bissau in Nigeria next year. Anything short of 4-0 victory for Nigeria may spell doom for Eagles.
Goals by Franculino Djú, Mama Baldé, and Álvaro Djaló gave the Wild Dogs their famous win against Super Eagles last Tuesday.