Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle has conceded
that his side were second-best after falling 1-0 to defending champions Senegal
in their Group D opener at the African Nations Championship (CHAN)
on Tuesday evening at the Amaan Stadium.
The tight contest was ultimately decided by Christian
Gomis’ 75th-minute strike, as the Super Eagles failed to capitalize on
their own chances in a game marked by high intensity and missed opportunities
from both teams.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Chelle
expressed disappointment in his team’s first-half performance and admitted that
Senegal deserved the victory.
“I think Senegal deserved this victory because we only
played for about 20 minutes in the second half. In the first half, I didn’t
recognize my team at all,” the coach said. “Senegal was more aggressive,
brought more intensity, and for me, they deserved the win more than us.”
Chelle pointed to mental lapses and lack of urgency as
key reasons behind Nigeria’s underwhelming display.
“In the second half, we gave away the goal with two
little mistakes. Maybe mentally we weren’t in the game, maybe we were scared of
something. We only enjoyed about 20 minutes when we really played football,
created chances, but failed to score,” he added.
The decisive moment of the match came when Moctar
Koïté, introduced as a substitute, raced down the right wing and delivered
a pinpoint cross to Gomis, who arrived unmarked to slot home with his
left foot. The goal was a reward for Senegal's persistence and structured
attacking play.
Chelle: “We Must Change Our Mindset”
The Nigeria coach emphasized the need for his players
to show greater aggression and determination if they hope to progress in the
tournament.
“To be ambitious, we need to be more aggressive. We
must fight for every ball, especially the second balls. In the first half, we
lost every ball. This is just our first match, we still have two more to go,
but we need to change our mindset.”
Group Implications
The result places Senegal at the top of Group D
with three points, while Nigeria must now regroup ahead of their next
two matches. With only the top two teams progressing, Chelle and his men will
be under pressure to respond in their second group outing.
Nigeria will next face Sudan, who were held to
a 1-1 draw by Congo, in what is now shaping up to be a must-win
encounter for the Super Eagles.
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