Super Eagles of Nigeria head coach, Eric Chelle, has admitted regret over his side’s group stage elimination from the ongoing 2024 CHAN tournament in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, www.aclsports.com reports.
The Eagles defeated Congo 2-0 in their final group game against Congo at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday night, thanks to second-half goals from Anas Yusuf and Sikiru Alimi.
Speaking in the post-match press conference, Chelle disclosed that his players were not bad, but the pressure of the tournament got to them in the previous games.
“I think we deserved to win this game because we had more possession of the ball, we tried to play,” Chelle told journalists after the game.
“We were just missing the technical skill, or last pass, or last dribble, or choice in the first half. Just before the last technical skill, we missed a lot of balls. We enjoyed this game, but we have lots of regrets.”
”I do not think they[the players] played badly. The pressure was so heavy on them, and sometimes they played with some fear. They were scared. Today, we played for honour, and they played well. I don’t think they let me down; if they had done that, we would have lost this game. They did not want to come back to Nigeria without any point. However, they need to improve.”
On the performance of the game’s Man of the Match, Alex Oyowah, Chelle noted that the Remo Stars midfielder only came into form two days before Tuesday’s game. He went on to admonish his players to demonstrate greater mental strength going forward.
‘This is some regret because this player [Alex Oyowah] came two days before this game, similarly, Anas Yusuf. During the five weeks of preparation, they were not good in training. We need to have some players who have experience with the pressure. So, Alex and Anas played well in this game.”
“I have lots of regret because mentally, we were not ready. This is my analysis today. In the training sessions, he was not ready, but I am happy for him because he had a good game today. The players should be ready for any game they play, and they will play. Once again, I have a lot of regrets,” the Franco-Malian tactician concluded.
Following the conclusion of their tournament, the Nigerian squad will begin their journey back home on Wednesday, departing Dar es Salaam and expected to arrive in Abuja, the nation’s capital, around noon on Thursday.
