Sport
Chelle Says Nigeria Lost to Senegal Because They Were Not Mentally Ready
Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, has opened up on why Nigeria lost 1-0 to Senegal in their opening Group D match at the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) on Tuesday. The game, played at the Amani Stadium in Tanzania, saw Nigeria concede a second-half goal scored by Christian Gomis, giving Senegal all three points.
Speaking after the match, Chelle explained that the Senegalese team simply outplayed Nigeria with greater aggression and energy. “Senegal showed more intensity than we did. They were more aggressive and deserved to win,” he said.
Chelle also pointed out that a costly error led to Senegal’s goal. He admitted his players never really settled into the match, possibly due to nerves or lack of confidence. “We made a mistake in the second half that led to the goal. But honestly, we never got into the game mentally,” he added.
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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