Nigeria’s home-based Super Eagles ended their CHAN 2024 journey with a 2–0 win over Congo, but the result was not enough to save them from elimination, Footynaija.com reports.
The victory in Dar es Salaam came through goals from Anas Yusuf in the second half and Sikiru Alimi in stoppage time. Both players delivered on the night, but Nigeria’s fate had already been sealed before kick-off. Group rivals Sudan and Senegal advanced at Nigeria’s expense, leaving Eric Chelle’s men to reflect on what might have been.
The coach faced questions over his squad selections, preparation, and in-game tactics throughout the campaign. In a reflection carried by CAF Online, he broke down his mixed emotions from Nigeria’s short-lived campaign.
“We showed our technical ability in the last part of the match, but we lost several balls before that,” he reflected.
“In any case, we played well. Our performance was great and we deserved to win the match. I really feel sorry because our last match was good, but the previous two matches had mistakes. We started at a high speed and had a lot of possession.”
The coach refused to blame his squad entirely, pointing instead to nerves and lack of mental preparation.
“I do not think my cubs let me down,” Chelle stressed.
“The pressure was high on these young players, and they sometimes played scared. But during the last match against Congo, they played for honour, and that is why they performed well.”
“Our deep regret stems from our heavy defeat to Sudan, but that is football. We will carefully analyse the Sudan match to make up for what happened in the future,” he explained.
Chelle also highlighted how late call-ups and short preparation time affected the squad’s balance.
“The preparations for a CHAN tournament should start a year in advance,” he admitted.
“For example, the player who won the Man of the Match award against Congo, Alex, I put him on our list for the tournament a week before we left, and everyone said, ‘Why did you call him up when he is not known?’
We were not ready to participate in this tournament. Whoever attends our training sessions will notice that our players were not mentally prepared to participate in this version of the tournament.”
On why he omitted Alex Oyowah in the matches against Senegal and Sudan, Eric Chelle responded, in another report by ACLSports via X:
“I have a lot of regrets, he was not ready until two days ago, just like Anas Yusuf. In all, all the players have to be ready for games they will play going forward.”
