Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen was conspicuously missing as the Super Eagles suffered a 3-0 defeat to the Wild Dogs of Guinea-Bissau in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Tuesday, September 29.

The Djurtus thumped the 2013 AFCON winners at the Estádio 24 de Setembro in Bissau to move top of Group L, leaving Nigeria with three points from their opening two games.

Despite Nigeria's 2-1 victory over Madagascar in their previous game, one glaring issue is how the team has struggled in several competitive matches when Osimhen is unavailable.

The 27-year-old suffered a muscle strain during Galatasaray's 3-2 win over Istanbul Başakşehir on September 4 and remains sidelined, making him unavailable for the opening AFCON 2027 qualifiers.

Nigeria still managed to overcome Madagascar 2-1 in Uyo without their star striker, with debutants George Ilenikhena and Moses Usor scoring the goals. However, the heavy defeat to Guinea-Bissau has once again raised questions about the team's ability to cope without Osimhen.

MyNigeria Sports looks at five competitive matches in which the Super Eagles struggled without the Galatasaray striker.

1. Nigeria 1-1 Lesotho — November 16, 2023

Nigeria opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with a disappointing 1-1 home draw against Lesotho.

Victor Osimhen missed the game through injury, with Victor Boniface and Taiwo Awoniyi leading the attack. Lesotho took a shock lead through Motlomelo Mkwanazi before Semi Ajayi rescued a point for the Super Eagles.

2. Zimbabwe 1-1 Nigeria — November 19, 2023

Osimhen was again unavailable when Nigeria faced Zimbabwe three days later.

Walter Musona gave the Warriors the lead before Kelechi Iheanacho equalised in the second half, but Nigeria failed to find a winner.

The result meant the Super Eagles had collected just two points from their opening two World Cup qualifiers.

3. Nigeria 1-1 South Africa — June 7, 2024

Osimhen's absence continued into Nigeria's next two World Cup qualifiers after he was ruled out with an injury.

Against South Africa in Uyo, Themba Zwane put the visitors ahead before Fisayo Dele-Bashiru equalised shortly after half-time.

Despite having home advantage, Nigeria could not complete the comeback and had to settle for another draw.

4. Benin 2-1 Nigeria — June 10, 2024

Three days later, the Super Eagles suffered their first defeat of the qualifying campaign when they lost 2-1 to Benin Republic in Abidjan.

Raphael Onyedika put Nigeria ahead, but Jodel Dossou and Steve Mounié turned the game around for Gernot Rohr's side.

Osimhen missed the encounter as he continued his recovery from injury.

5. Guinea-Bissau 3-0 Nigeria — September 29, 2026

The latest and arguably most painful example came in Bissau.

With Osimhen still recovering from his muscle injury, Nigeria were completely outplayed by Guinea-Bissau and suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat.

Franculino Djú, Mama Baldé and Álvaro Djaló scored for the hosts, handing Eric Chelle his first defeat in the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign.

Osimhen's impact in the World Cup qualifiers

The numbers from the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign provide an interesting contrast.

Nigeria failed to win their first four matches with two draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe, followed by the draw against South Africa and defeat to Benin. It is important to underscore that Osimhen was unavailable for all these matches.

Their first victory came in March 2025, when Osimhen returned to the starting XI and scored both goals in a 2-0 away win over Rwanda.

Across the 10-match qualifying campaign, Nigeria won every match in which Osimhen played more than 45 minutes except one, which was the 1-1 home draw against Zimbabwe on March 25, 2025. Osimhen scored Nigeria's goal in the 74th minute, but Tawanda Chirewa equalised in the 90th minute.

Osimhen later scored a hat-trick in Nigeria's 4-0 victory over Benin in their final group match. However, the Super Eagles missed out on automatic qualification after finishing second behind South Africa.

The Guinea-Bissau defeat has therefore reignited the debate over Nigeria's dependence on Osimhen, although the 2-1 victory over Madagascar shows that the Super Eagles can still win without him.

For Eric Chelle and his technical team, the challenge is to find a system that can consistently produce results even when their leading striker is unavailable.

WDN