Sudan Coach Shades Eric Chelle After Falcons Eliminate Super Eagles From CHAN
- The Super Eagles B have been eliminated from the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN)
- The home-based Eagles lost 4-0 to Sudan in their second match, having lost the opener to Senegal
- Sudan's head coach, Kwesi Appiah, appeared to aim a stylish dig at Nigeria's Eric Chelle after the match
Sudan's head coach’s post-match conference comments sparked reactions from Nigerian football fans after it appeared to aim a dog at Eric Chelle.
Nigeria were eliminated from the ongoing African Nations Championship (CHAN 2024) after losing 4-0 to Sudan, having also lost 1-0 to Senegal a week ago.
Source: Twitter
According to thenff.com, the defeat is a joint record in the competition’s history after losing by the same scoreline in the 2018 final against hosts Morocco.
Kwesi Appiah shades Eric Chelle
The former Ghanaian international admitted that he was not expecting the scoreline, but he knew his team could beat Nigeria.
“I was surprised with the performance of some of my players. If you noticed, my changes came deep into the second half because everyone was playing really well,” he told CAF Online.
“We knew it was going to be tough, especially the first 20 minutes. Our tactical play was to absorb pressure and hit them on the counter.
“I wasn’t expecting the scoreline, but I knew if we played our best, we could defeat Nigeria.”
Appiah was asked to assess the Nigerian players after their performance, and he admitted that they were not a bad group, but needed some tactical input.
“I think the home-based Super Eagles aren’t that bad. On the whole, tactically, they played well,” he added.
“The coach only needs to do some polishing with the attack. The first game against Senegal wasn’t that bad; in the second game, they had stints of possession, but our approach helped us.”
Nigerians reacted to the assessment and noted that the players are indeed bad, and there was not much the coach could have done.
@abwales wrote:
“He is glorifying his work, and I don’t blame him. When last did Nigeria qualify for Chan? All these years, was it because of technical input too?”
Source: Twitter
@moolah79 wrote:
“I disagree. Yes, even the best coaches sometimes make tactical mistakes, they are human afterall. What played out today is simply a reflection of the poor quality of our league. Are we going to blame Chelles too for the abysmal performance of our clubs in CAF Club competitions?”
@adurodaniel wrote:
“Nah, they were bad, and it’s not just tactically, the first goal had nothing to do with tactics, same with the second goal also. They just seem overwhelmed and lack composure for the most part. If anything, it seems they lack the ability to carry out the tactical instructions.”
Chelle reacts to Super Eagles' loss
Legit.ng reported that Eric Chelle reacted to Nigeria's loss, blaming it on the same approach as the first game, which was making costly mistakes in decisive areas.
The Franco-Malian admitted that the four goals conceded were his team's mistakes and warned that they could concede more against Congo if mistakes persist.
Source: Legit.ng
