By Wale Mustapha
Nigeria’s head coach, Eric Chelle, has called on his players to maintain their winning form as Nigeria prepares to face Russia in an international friendly on Friday.
The match, scheduled to take place at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, serves as part of the team’s preparation for upcoming competitive fixtures.
Chelle, who remains unbeaten in his first four matches in charge — with three wins and one draw — expressed confidence that the Super Eagles can extend their positive run.
“Now we go to Russia, and our goal is to win every game,” Chelle told reporters.
“We’re not just travelling for a match — we’re going there to win.”
Reflecting on their recent performance, Chelle added: “Right now, I think we’re still in Jamaica — mentally, it feels like it because of how tough the game was. But we must now shift focus.”
The Super Eagles will be aiming to build on their recent success and fine-tune tactics ahead of future qualifiers.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
