Chelle laments Nigeria’s Exit after humbling defeat to Sudan

ZANZIBAR: NIGERIA Head Coach, Éric Chelle, has defined the Tuesday’s encounter as the game he oversaw as his side becomes the first club eliminated in this year’s tournament.

He made the reaction after his side suffered a huge 4-0 defeat against Sudan at New Amaan Complex in Zanzibar.

“We have lost all ambition. The CHAN is over for us. We have a third match to play for our honour and respect. But I am disappointed by this match. It is the worst game I have overseen from the dugout as coach.”

Looking ahead to their final game against Congo Brazzaville, Chelle warned his charges that their last game would be even worse if they play the same as they played with Sudani.

“The players focused in the first 20 minutes. Our goal was ruled out, and afterwards, we made a lot of mistakes… 4 mistakes, 4 goals. Our training session before the game went well. We analysed Sudan’s team. We prepared well, but were not ready for as many mistakes.

“If we play this way against Congo, it wouldn’t be just four. We have to clear our minds and mentally get ready for Congo.”

The coach pointed his side has been suffering in this year’s tournament as they had loss a number of key domestic players nearly eight who had moved abroad as a turning point.

“Though some important players left our preparations camp, these were the best players in our league. We can’t play a game like that and lose in the manner we did. We need to be more focused.”

Following the results, Sudan has risen to the top of the Group D table on goal differential after Tuesday night’s results.

They are equal with Senegal on points, having both earned four points, while Congo Brazzaville is in third place with three points. The three aforementioned candidates will play their last group campaign match on Tuesday to determine who advances to the next round.

Meanwhile, Nigeria have become the first team to be eliminated from this year’s CHAN tournament.

Sudan Coach surprised by big win over Nigeria, credits team’s discipline:

After Tuesday’s match against Nigeria, Sudanese Head Coach Kwesi Appiah expressed his surprise at the big victory over such a formidable opponent. He praised his players for their effort, especially in the second half, which led to their success.

“I was impressed by the performance of some of my players. If you noticed, I made my substitutions late in the game because everyone was performing really well.

“I wasn’t expecting such a scoreline, but I believed that if we played to the best of our abilities, we could defeat Nigeria.”

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Appiah explained their game plan: “We knew it would be tough, particularly in the first 20 minutes. Our tactical approach was to absorb pressure and counterattack effectively.”

Despite the decisive win, Appiah was respectful towards his counterpart, Eric Chelle: “I believe the home-based Super Eagles are not that bad. Overall, they played well tactically.

“The coach just needs to refine their attacking strategy. Their first game against Senegal was decent, and in the second game, they had moments of possession, but our strategy proved beneficial.”