The three-time African champions were clear favorites against the Djurtus but fell to an embarrassing defeat at home on Friday
Former Ajax Amsterdam winger Tijani Babangida has expressed his delight at Super Eagles' performance during Nigeria's 1-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja on Friday night.
Despite the Eagles' suffering their first loss in an AFCON qualifier in six years, Babangida acknowledged that the team played good football.
Mama Balde's goal in the first half proved to be the game's decisive moment, leaving Nigeria unable to break down the opposition's stubborn defence.
Speaking after the match, Babangida praised the Super Eagles' performance, stating that he was impressed with the players' efforts. He added that he hopes the team will bounce back in the reverse fixture in Bissau on Monday and reclaim their position at the top of Group A.
“I am really impressed with the performance of the players,” Babangida told the Daily Post.
“And I hope they will get the job done in the reverse fixture in order to reclaim the top position in the group.”
The defeat means that Nigeria dropped to second place in the group, behind Guinea-Bissau, who now sit at the top with seven points. Despite creating several chances, the Super Eagles could not convert them into goals, leaving them ruing their missed opportunities.
As they prepare for the rematch in Bissau, the Super Eagles will hope to put the disappointment of Friday's defeat behind them and secure a crucial victory that could see them leapfrog their opponents and reclaim their spot at the summit of Group A.
Sincerely I applaud the tactical changes in the second half, the fact they were able to get behind the back four and strong support given to Osimhen by Onuachu Paul gave some glimmer of hope that the coach knew what to do but hard luck was a big factor in the loss, it was as though even with empty net, our players would still miss the chance.
My take is that we stop playing in Abuja stadium whenever Nigeria is in a mourning mood, we have not come out of the shambolic election and you recall our loss to Ghana was a day or two after the kaduna train attack.IT DOESN’T WORK.