AFCON 2025: Eric Chelle Praises Squad Depth After Super Eagles Win Over Uganda

Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle has revealed that Super Eagles’s final Group C clash against Uganda at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations provided an opportunity to experiment with his squad, as the team had already secured qualification for the Round of 16.

With progression assured, Chelle made eight changes to the starting line-up from the previous victory over Tunisia. Only Calvin Bassey, Bruno Onyemaechi, and Victor Osimhen, who captained the side, retained their places. The reshuffled team featured Francis Uzoho, Ryan Alebiosu, Igoh Ogbu, Raphael Onyedika, Moses Simon, Samuel Chukwueze, Paul Onuachu, and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru from the start.

The changes paid off as Nigeria claimed a convincing 3–1 victory, with Raphael Onyedika scoring twice and Paul Onuachu adding the third goal to cap a dominant group-stage performance.

Speaking during his post-match press conference, Chelle expressed satisfaction with both the result and the depth within his squad.

“Today it was a game to change and try to do another thing, and I’m happy with the three goals,” Chelle said. “But again, we have to improve if we want to be ambitious.”

The Franco-Malian tactician praised the collective effort of the team, noting that several players made strong cases for inclusion in the knockout rounds.

“I’m happy with the performance of a lot of players in this team, the whole group. Now they’re giving me a really bad headache because I have to make choices; I have a lot of choices to make,” he added.

Chelle stressed that the performance against Uganda underlined the strength of the squad beyond the usual starting XI.

“They proved to everyone that this is not a team of eleven players, that it is a group. That’s fine,” he said. “The training sessions are going to be with a lot of intensity, and now it’s up to me to make the right choices.”

Nigeria finished the group stage with a perfect record of three wins from three matches, building strong momentum ahead of the knockout phase as Chelle weighs his options for the Round of 16.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey 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.

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