Former Nigeria international Victor Ikpeba has blamed the Super Eagles’ defensive shortcomings for their 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Ikpeba defended goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali from criticism over the goals conceded, arguing that the defenders were largely responsible, particularly for Guinea-Bissau’s second goal.
Franculino opened the scoring after 15 minutes before Mama Baldé doubled the hosts’ advantage in the 66th minute. Álvaro Djaló completed the victory with a stoppage-time goal.
Baldé produced a strong run to get past Bright Osayi-Samuel before placing his effort beyond Nwabali.
Ikpeba acknowledged the quality of the finish and said the goalkeeper had little chance of stopping it.
“They possessed the momentum. What an excellent placement. Technically superior goal; it appears straightforward on television. Observe it. There was nothing Nwabali could have done. It struck the post and went in,” Ikpeba told SuperSport.
He said Nigeria’s defensive organisation was poor throughout the match and warned that such lapses could prove costly at the continental level.
“Defensively, we didn’t defend well. If you don’t defend well in this type of game and you qualify for the AFCON, defensively, we were poor,” he said.
Ikpeba also pointed to Nigeria’s failure to react quickly after losing possession as a factor in the third goal.
“They recognised that we were inadequate defensively. When we lose the ball, they are not marking the striker or the number 20. Remarkably straightforward,” he said.
He added that the first goal also resulted from a failure to mark the opposing striker.
“For the first goal, they did not mark the striker. We lack marking players, so we were penalised. You cannot hold Nwabali responsible for the third goal,” Ikpeba said.
Nigeria are currently second in Group L with three points and will face Tanzania in a two-legged fixture in November.
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