AFCON Qualifier: Eagles lose 0-1 to Guinea Bissau in Abuja

By Emmanuel Afonne

Abuja, March 24, 2023

The Super Eagles of Nigeria on Friday lost 0-1 to Guinea Bissau in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifier, played at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja.

The match saw the Eagles dominating the encounter but failed to make any positive impact.

The Guinea Bissau team got their goal through a counterattack in the 29th minute by forward Mama Balde who plies his football trade with Troyes FC of France.

The Eagles made a superb effort in the 33rd minute when Ademola Lookman laid an overlapping pass for Victor Osimhen who couldn’t beat the visitor’s goalkeeper.

The Djurtus of Guinea Bissau came close to scoring another goal in the 35th minute after beating Eagles defenders but the ball eventually landed on the side net.

Moses Simon played wide in front of the post in the 55th minute.

Eagles’ Akpoguma Ufuoma was injured and substituted with Oluwasemi Ajayi.

Osimhen continued to torment the visitors’ defense but the goalkeeper proved to be Nigeria’s nemesis.

The result ensured Nigeria remained on six points after three games, while Guinea Bissau is now on seven points.

The reverse fixture will hold in Marrakech, Morocco, on Tuesday, March 28.

The match can’t hold in Guinea-Bissau as they do not have a Confederation of African Football (CAF) approved playing turf.

The Super Eagles won their opening two games in the qualifiers against Sierra Leone and Sao Tome and Principe.

Cote d’Ivoire will host the competition between January and February 2024 for the second time after staging the 1984 edition.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Eagles lost the Qatar 2022 World Cup ticket to Ghana at the same Moshood Abiola Stadium.