Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has backed Nigeria to recover from the damaging 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau, insisting the race for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations ticket remains open with four Group L matches still to play.
Tuesday’s defeat at the 24 September Stadium was Chelle’s first loss since taking charge of Nigeria, bringing an abrupt end to the unbeaten run he had maintained since his appointment in January 2025.
The result left Nigeria on three points from two matches, three behind Guinea-Bissau, who have made a perfect start with victories over Tanzania and the Super Eagles.
With Tanzania already guaranteed a place at AFCON 2027 as co-hosts, only one additional qualification ticket is available from Group L.
Despite the setback, Chelle is refusing to allow one disastrous evening to define his team.
“I’m very confident about my team and this group,” Chelle said after the defeat. “Today was not a good day for us. This is the first time I have seen my team perform like that, but we have to move forward.”
Guinea-Bissau exposed Nigeria throughout the contest, with goals from Franculino Djú, Mama Baldé and Álvaro Djaló completing a result Chelle admitted was deserved.
He acknowledged that the hosts played with greater aggression, intensity and personality while his side struggled to find solutions.
But the Franco-Malian does not believe qualification should now be treated as a lost cause.
Nigeria’s next challenge is particularly significant: a November double-header against Tanzania. Chelle has already identified maximum points from those two fixtures as essential before the Super Eagles complete their campaign against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.
“Both games against Tanzania are very important,” he said. “After that, we have the final matches against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau. A lot can happen in four games, so we have to stay focused and calm.”
Chelle’s confidence is partly built on what preceded the Bissau collapse. At one stage in his tenure, CAF noted that he had collected 14 points from a possible 18 in Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying revival, having inherited a team that had managed only two points beforehand.
That history will count for little, however, unless Nigeria respond immediately.
For Chelle, the calculation is now straightforward: forget Bissau, attack the remaining four matches beginning with six points against Tanzania and drag the Super Eagles back into control of their qualification destiny.
