Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle has admitted that Super Eagle’s hopes of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup were dealt a major blow by the team’s costly home draw against Zimbabwe.
Speaking in an interview with Algerian journalist Riadh Belaïche, Chelle reflected on Nigeria’s qualification campaign, describing the dropped points as a painful setback.
“I was appointed in January last year. When I arrived, Nigeria had three points from 12, so we fought hard to try to qualify,” Chelle said.
The Malian tactician explained that despite the team’s efforts to recover from a poor start, crucial points slipped away at decisive moments.
“It’s true that in some matches, like against Zimbabwe, we drew at home when the match was in our hands. In the end, those two dropped points hurt us a lot,” he said.
Chelle also pointed to Nigeria’s away draw against South Africa as another result that complicated their qualification hopes.
“Of course, we are disappointed because we felt we had the ability to qualify for the World Cup,” he added.
Reflecting on the playoff defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chelle acknowledged that the Super Eagles fell short despite their determination.
“We reached the playoffs, but we lost to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties. They deserved the victory,” Chelle concluded.
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.
