Nigeria suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in AFCON 2027 qualifying, while Ghana also fell 4-2 to The Gambia in Accra.
Nigeria suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday as the Super Eagles endured a difficult night in the second round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
The Group L encounter was played at the Estádio 24 de Setembro in Bissau, with Guinea-Bissau securing their second consecutive victory in the qualifying campaign.
Franculino Djú opened the scoring in the 15th minute after being played through by Renato Nhaga, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Nigeria, who had opened their campaign with a 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar, struggled to find an equaliser before the break. Guinea-Bissau goalkeeper Fernando Embadjé also made important saves to preserve his side’s advantage.
The hosts doubled their lead in the 65th minute when Mama Baldé converted after receiving a pass from Mamadi Camará.
Nigeria coach Eric Chelle responded with changes in an attempt to reduce the deficit, but the Super Eagles were unable to find a breakthrough.
Guinea-Bissau completed the victory in stoppage time when Álvaro Djaló scored to make it 3-0.
The result leaves Guinea-Bissau on six points from two matches, while Nigeria remain on three points after their opening win over Madagascar.
In the other Group L fixture, Madagascar and Tanzania played out a 1-1 draw, leaving both sides with one point after two matches. Tanzania are already guaranteed a place at AFCON 2027 as one of the co-hosts alongside Kenya and Uganda.
Ghana endured another setback in Group C, losing 4-2 to The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The Black Stars raced into a 2-0 lead through Ernest Nuamah and Félix Afena-Gyan, but The Gambia fought back before half-time to level the score at 2-2.
Ebrima Colley then put The Gambia ahead in the second half before adding another goal in stoppage time to complete the 4-2 victory.
The result leaves Ghana without a point from their opening two qualifiers, following their 2-0 defeat to Côte d’Ivoire in the first match. The Gambia, meanwhile, have six points from two games.
Egypt recorded one of the biggest wins of the day, defeating South Sudan 5-0 in Juba.
The Pharaohs secured their first victory of the campaign after drawing 0-0 with Angola in their opening fixture. Omar Marmoush scored twice, while Mostafa Zico, Ibrahim Adel and Hamza Abdelkarim were also on target.
Senegal also claimed their first win under new head coach Patrick Vieira, defeating Ethiopia 1-0 away from home.
Morocco maintained their perfect start with a 2-0 away victory over Lesotho, while Mozambique defeated Sudan 4-1.
Algeria came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Burundi in Bujumbura, preserving their unbeaten start to the qualifiers.
Comoros also recorded their first victory of the campaign with a 1-0 win over Namibia.
The 2027 AFCON qualifiers will resume in November after the opening two matchdays. The tournament will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17, 2027.
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