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Chelle Praises Aina and Osayi-Samuel After Nigeria’s Draw Against Zimbabwe
Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, has praised Ola Aina and Bright Osayi-Samuel for their strong performances in Nigeria’s 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday.
The match, held at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, ended with both teams sharing the points. After a goalless first half, Victor Osimhen put Nigeria ahead in the 74th minute with a well-placed header. However, Zimbabwe struck back late in the game when Tawanda Chirewa found the net, leveling the score.
In his post-match interview, Chelle praised the efforts of Aina and Osayi-Samuel, saying they gave solid performances despite the tough conditions.
“Ola did well switching between the right and left sides, and Bright also had a good game,” Chelle said. “It was tough in the final moments, but we managed to get a draw.” Following the result, Nigeria now sits in fourth place in Group C with seven points.
Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has opened up about a difficult period in his career, revealing that he almost stepped away from football.
Speaking during a recent interview, Bassey shared that he once made a personal promise to himself to quit pursuing football professionally if he failed to secure a spot at a professional club.
“I remember being 15 and going into my final year, and I told myself that if I didn’t get into a professional club, I would quit football. It was that simple,” he said.
“I would just stop pursuing it seriously and only play for fun. Thank God I eventually got a club, because I honestly don’t know where I would be otherwise.”
It has been reported that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined Egypt $5,000 following their clash with Zimbabwe for failing to manage post-match media obligations.
It was noted that after the match, the Egyptian players ignored the media. This action was said to be a violation of CAF’s media regulations, which led to the fine being imposed.
Head of the Super Eagles, Eric Chelle, shared that the big-name players on the team are not happy about being benched.
He recalled when he took out Samuel Chukwueze during the match against Tanzania.
“Yes, of course, we’ve in this team a lot of big names. They are competitors; they aren’t happy when they go to the bench,” Chelle said at his post-match interview.”
“My job is to make choices, and we’re playing a 4-4-2 diamond, and at this moment I feel we have to protect the wing.”
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