… Eagles Coach Defends 4-0 Defeat
Nigeria Super Eagles B coach Eric Chelle insisted that his squad selected for the African Nations Championship in Zanzibar featured the best players from the Nigeria Premier Football League, even as the team suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Sudan, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. Chelle stood by his decisions, stressing that the team selection was made in good faith and based on merit. “Even if the outcome was disappointing, the squad was chosen to represent the best of the league,” he added. The Franco-Malian coach explained that the current squad differed significantly from what he initially envisioned for the tournament. “Maybe five players left the camp or never came at all. They left to play in another league. So the team was not like we imagined. But the reality for me is it was the best player in the league,” Chelle said, defending his selection. The defeat means Nigeria are eliminated from the 8th CHAN edition after Sudan raced to a 2-0 lead before half-time, followed by two further goals in the second half, leaving the Eagles bottom of Group D. The Sudanese team capitalised on Nigeria’s defensive lapses, with Yagoub Omer scoring twice in the second half to complete the rout, leaving Nigeria’s hopes of advancing dashed. Chelle acknowledged that the Eagles started the match well, but mistakes soon piled up. “The players were focused, and we scored a goal, but after that we made a lot of mistakes and gave up the game in the second half. Four goals, four mistakes for me,” he said, reflecting on the performance. He broke down the errors that led to the rout. “We cannot play games like that and lose because we made a lot of mistakes during these two games. The first goal against Senegal was a mistake. In this game, the first two goals were mistakes, and after that the other two goals were due to mistakes in positioning,” he explained. Chelle also highlighted the challenge of competing at this level. “It’s difficult at this level of competition. We need to be more focused,” he said, urging the team to learn from the experience. Nigeria will now exit the competition, with their final Group D match against Congo next week serving only as a formality.