CHAN: Nigeria showed technical ability in Congo win – Chelle

Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle insists their final victory against Congo in their TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) campaign was a reminder of the Super Eagles’ quality despite failing to make it to the knockout stages in East Africa.

The home-based Super Eagles bowed out of the CHAN being co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, with a morale-boosting 2–0 win over Congo in Dar es Salaam, but it was not enough to rescue their campaign as Sudan and Senegal progressed from Group D.

The result, sealed by goals from Anas Yusuf and Sikiru Alimi, restored some pride for the Super Eagles after back-to-back defeats had condemned them to an early elimination. Congo, who needed a win to keep their own hopes alive, were left devastated, finishing bottom of the pool.

“We showed our technical ability in the last part of the match, but we lost several balls before that,” said the Malian tactician as quoted by CAFOnline.com. “In any case, we played well. Our performance was great and we deserved to win the match. I really feel sorry because our last match was good, but the previous two matches had mistakes. We started at a high speed and had a lot of possession.”

Chelle added: “I don’t think my cubs let me down. The pressure was high on these young players, and they sometimes played scared. But during the last match against Congo, they played for honor, and that’s why they performed well.

“Letdown doesn’t come from winning this match. Our players responded to the previous results and said they didn’t want to go home with zero points. Our deep regret stems from our heavy defeat to Sudan, but that’s football. We will carefully analyse the Sudan match to make up for what happened in the future.”

Sudan and Senegal drew 0-0, a result that saw both nations reach the quarter-finals with five points each. The East Africa nation topped the group on goal difference, while Nigeria’s victory lifted them to three points, one short of qualification.

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