“My players are professionals, and I know they will still want to win the remaining two games. A lot can happen over the next one month,” he offered. “But before that, we will have to analyse our performance tonight, which will not be easy.”
Eric Chelle
Coach Chelle defends Super Eagles draw with Bafana
In a classic display of naivety, coach Eric Sekou Chelle has admitted that the Super Eagles 1-1 draw away to Bafana Bafana of South Africa in their Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday, was “a good result”.
In a match Nigeria needed all the three points to stay in hunt of the group leader South Africa for the group’ s sole automatic ticket, the Super Eagles went behind in the 25th minute no thanks to an unfortunate own goal by captain William Troost-Ekong .It took the bravery of defender Charles Bassey for the Chelle-led side to secure a leveller towards the end of the first half.
“To draw with South Africa in South Africa is a good result, but we wanted to win, so we’re a bit disappointed tonight,” Chelle said in his post-match analysis, Chelle said, per Legit Sports.
He added in another breath : “For me, it was a great game with a lot of intensity and aggression,” Chelle said. “Both teams tried to play good football despite the pitch. Congratulations to South Africa, they had a very strong game, and I’m proud of my team as well.
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“ We came here to win, we took risks by keeping a one-on-one setup at the back, but unfortunately, in just 25 minutes we conceded. After that, the players showed great spirit to fight back.”
But the Super Eagles’ qualification hope have been dealt further blow following Republic of Benin’s comprehensive 4-0 defeat of Lesotho in the other Group C game late Tuesday night.
Following the September international break, Bafana remained at the top of Group C with 17 points, followed by Benin with 14 points. Chelle’s Super Eagles are currently third with just 11 points.
Now, to qualify, Nigeria will hope both South Africa and Benin lose their remaining two fixtures, a scenario that is highly unlikely to happen.
Yet, Chelle remains optimistic that the Super Eagles can qualify, adding his team will fight until the end for a place at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
“My players are professionals, and I know they will still want to win the remaining two games. A lot can happen over the next one month,” he offered. “But before that, we will have to analyse our performance tonight, which will not be easy.”
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