Nigeria suffered a shocking defeat at home to Guinea-Bissau’s Djurtus in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Friday night.
The Super Eagles, who dominated the game, lost 1-0 to a solitary goal from Mama Balde in the 29th minute.
Alex Iwobi reacted to the defeat by urging fans to stick by the team and promising to do better in the rematch in Guinea-Bissau on Monday.
“As players and staff, we know we have to react to this result,” said Iwobi. “All we can do is improve and, to the fans, all I can say is that they should stick by us and support us because we give 100 percent not just for ourselves, but also for our nation.
“Next time we are going to do our best and make the country proud.”
The defeat was Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro’s fifth loss in seven matches, and another loss in the reverse fixture next week in Bissau could spell the end for the Portuguese.
It was also one of the biggest upsets in the history of the competition, as Guinea-Bissau is 81 places below Nigeria in the FIFA world rankings.
Following the defeat, Nigeria dropped to second in Group A with six points from three matches played so far. The team will need to bounce back quickly if they want to secure their place in the Africa Cup of Nations.
