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Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has lauded his players following Nigeria’s impressive 2-0 victory over Rwanda in Friday’s World Cup qualifier, a result that secured their first-ever win on Rwandan soil, Footynaija.com reports.
Victor Osimhen was the hero of the night, scoring twice to give Nigeria a vital three points.
The Galatasaray striker opened the scoring in the 11th minute, finishing off a well-placed free kick from Ademola Lookman. He then doubled the lead just before halftime, putting the Super Eagles in firm control.
Mission Kigali done. Onto the Next One pic.twitter.com/MfVhxfnrJc
— Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) March 21, 2025
Speaking after the match, Chelle admitted Rwanda posed a stern challenge but was delighted with his team’s response.
“It was a difficult game, Rwanda has a great team. I am proud of my players’ performance. We worked a lot within the few days. We had just two full training sessions. We kept the ball in the second half, good performance from my guys (players).”
The Nigerian boss also reflected on the team’s tactical setup, stressing the need for further improvements.
“It is my job to set up the system, we tried two different systems in the team. We need to improve, it is the first game and we are going back to work for the second game.”
Chelle, however, remained focused solely on his squad, choosing not to comment on Rwanda’s performance. “I won’t criticize the Rwandan team and talk about them. My job is to talk about my team.”
Nigeria’s victory moves them up to fourth place in their qualification group, with six points from five matches. However, they still trail leaders South Africa by four points and will be looking to close the gap when they face Zimbabwe in Uyo.
With Bafana Bafana set to take on second-placed Benin in the next round, the group standings could see significant changes, making Nigeria’s upcoming fixtures even more crucial.
