Sport
“It Was a Tough Match” – Chelle Reflects on Super Eagles Draw with Russia
Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has shared his thoughts on the team’s performance following their 1-1 draw with Russia in an international friendly played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on Friday night. Nigeria fell behind in the 27th minute after defender Semi Ajayi accidentally turned the ball into his own net. However, they bounced back in the second half, with Tolu Arokodare coming off the bench to level the score in the 71st minute.
Speaking after the match, Chelle acknowledged the challenge posed by their opponents. “It was a tough match. We faced a strong Russian side that put us under real pressure and showed their quality,” he said. “They took their chance in the first half. We had ours too, but their goalkeeper made a great save.”
Despite the draw, Chelle remains unbeaten as Super Eagles coach, recording three wins and two draws in five games so far. Next up for the team are the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in September, where they’ll take on Rwanda in Uyo before heading to South Africa.
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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