Super Eagles of Nigeria head coach, Eric Chelle, has highlighted the importance of winning the first game as his side prepares to face the Taifa Stars of Tanzania in their Group C opener at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco on Tuesday, www.aclsports.com reports.
Chelle, who made the headlines at the last AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire while managing Mali, will lead the Super Eagles in a major tournament for the first time, and he hopes to begin with a win.
”We are happy to be here. This is a big game because this is the first game of the tournament,” Chelle said in his opening statement at the official pre-match press conference on Monday.
“The first game is very important every time. We are happy to play this game in Fes; for sure, we want to win this game,” he added.
On missing key elements like the retired William Troost-Ekong, the injured duo of Ola Aina and Benjamin Fredrick, Chelle said, “I am not worried. I trust my guys. Of course, I would have loved to have all of the players in the team. We will work a lot on defence, but it is not only about the defenders, but all the players as a whole.”
“We are here, we have a game tomorrow, and we also have a tournament to play. We don’t have time to think about what has happened before,” Chelle said about the failed World Cup qualification and the need to focus on the task at hand.
“The spirit in camp is very high. This game is very important for us to assess the momentum. The guys are really ready and focused on this game. This is a game we are very prepared to win,” captain of the side, Wilfred Ndidi, said in his own remarks at the presser.
The Group C opener between Nigeria and Tanzania in Fes will get underway at 6:30 pm on Tuesday.
