Guinea-Bissau head coach Emiliano Té has urged caution despite the Djurtus making a perfect start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a 3-0 victory over Nigeria, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
The Djurtus produced a commanding display at the Estádio 24 de Setembro in Bissau on Tuesday to secure their second consecutive victory in Group L and move to six points.
Franculino Djú opened the scoring in the 15th minute before Mama Baldé doubled Guinea-Bissau’s advantage after the interval.
Álvaro Djaló then completed the victory in the fifth minute of stoppage time as the hosts condemned Nigeria to their first defeat of the qualifying campaign.
Guinea-Bissau had earlier defeated Tanzania 2-0 in their opening fixture, while Nigeria began with a 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar.
Despite the impressive start, Té insisted that his team cannot afford to assume qualification is already secured.
“It is a journey to reach the Africa Cup of Nations. The victory against Nigeria demonstrates that the national team is doing well and will continue to evolve in the upcoming matches,” he said.
The Guinea-Bissau coach also called for continued tactical discipline and improvement from his players as the qualifying campaign progresses.
“Every game has its own story. You need to play tactical football, create better scoring opportunities, and always believe that you can do more and better, regardless of the opponent,” he added.
The victory has nevertheless put Guinea-Bissau in a strong position in Group L. Tanzania are already guaranteed a place at the 2027 tournament as one of the three co-hosts, meaning only the highest-placed team among Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar will qualify from the group.
Nigeria struggled to impose themselves in Bissau, with Franculino’s early opener putting the Super Eagles on the back foot.
Eric Chelle made two changes at half-time, bringing on Moses Usor and Moses Simon for Frank Onyeka and Taiwo Awoniyi, but Nigeria could not find a way back into the contest.
George Ilenikhena came close to reducing the deficit late in the match, but Guinea-Bissau goalkeeper Fernando Embadjé produced an important save to keep out the Nigerian forward.
Baldé’s second goal in the 66th minute further strengthened the hosts’ control before Djaló added the third deep into stoppage time.
The defeat leaves Nigeria on three points after two matches, while Guinea-Bissau lead the group with six points. Madagascar also have three points following their opening victory over Tanzania.
The Super Eagles will now have to wait until the November international window for their next two qualifying fixtures, with Matchdays 3 and 4 scheduled for November 9-17.
The final two rounds will be played in March 2027, with the AFCON finals scheduled for June 19 to July 17 across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.