Sport
Super Eagles coach Chelle says 1-1 draw with South Africa is a good result
Nigeria’s head coach Eric Chelle has described the Super Eagles’ 1-1 draw against South Africa in Tuesday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier as a positive outcome, even though his team had hoped for more.
The match, played at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, saw William Troost-Ekong mistakenly turn the ball into his own net in the 22nd minute to hand Bafana Bafana the lead. However, Calvin Bassey leveled the score before the break, giving Nigeria a lifeline. Both sides created chances in the second half, but neither could find the finishing touch, leaving the game tied after full time.
Speaking after the clash, Chelle admitted his team showed good intent but fell short in key moments. “In the second half we pushed hard and had South Africa under pressure, but we lacked that final bit of quality, maybe the last pass, maybe the finishing touch,” he explained.
He added that while the draw is a decent result away from home, the team is not fully satisfied. “A point in South Africa is valuable, but we wanted to take all three. That’s why there’s some disappointment, but this is football.”
Nigeria currently sits on 11 points with two matches left to play, trailing behind South Africa, who are on 17 points, and Benin Republic with 16.
Former footballer Thierry Henry has shared his thoughts on Arsenal’s match following their loss to Atlético Madrid on October 13.
Speaking during a brief interview on CBS Sports, Henry criticised the practice of players or coaches expressing certain opinions through the media instead of addressing issues directly within the dressing room.
“I’m not a coach anymore, but I always say, whoever speaks like that, out. Keep that in the dressing room, it’s as simple as that,” Henry said on CBS Sports.
“That is the only way it can work. You have to say those things to a person’s face… going through the press, I am not really a fan of that.”
Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has shared his thoughts on the 2026 Ballon d’Or award, revealing that he hopes the winner will come from his team.
The manager spoke about how hard his players have worked and expressed his belief that they deserve the recognition.
“What I hope is that we win this trophy. We have players who deserve it.”
“Last year, we were the best team. We showed that it wasn’t just Ousmane Dembélé who deserved it.”
French football pundit Walid Acherchour has named Lamine Yamal as his pick to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, sparking reactions among football fans.
Acherchour’s choice came as a surprise to some fans, who expected him to support fellow Frenchman Kylian Mbappé instead.
Speaking about his prediction, Acherchour expressed confidence in Yamal’s chances of winning the prestigious individual award.
“For me, Lamine Yamal, he is going to get it [2026 Ballon d’Or]. For me, there’s no doubt anymore,” Acherchour said, as quoted by Actu Foot. That start to the season shows that in fact, he was injured during the World Cup. He was the best player in La Liga, and he won the World Cup.
“Even if, for me, in fact, he doesn’t have the Ballon d’Or unanimously because his World Cup was average, even being average, he won it with Spain. He won La Liga with Barça.”
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