Eric Chelle Reacts After Super Eagles Beat Gabon 4–1, to Face DR Congo in Final

• Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has shared his thoughts after his team humiliated Gabon 4-1 in the World Cup playoff semi-final
• Gabon took the game to extra time after Mario Lemina cancelled Akor Adams’ goal, but Chidera Ejuke and Victor Osimhen won it
• The Super Eagles of Nigeria will face the Leopards of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final in Rabat on Sunday

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has shared his thoughts after an impressive 4-1 win over the Panthers of Gabon in the World Cup playoff semi-final.

Akor Adams pounced on a loose pass in the Gabonese defence to give Nigeria the lead in the 78th minute, but Mario Lemina equalised in the 89th minute, dragging the match to extra time.

Nigeria was exceptional in the extra time, with Chidera Ejuke giving Nigeria the lead in the 97th minute before Victor Osimhen’s brace in the 102nd and 110th minutes sealed the win.

Read also

President Tinubu sends message to Super Eagles after 4:1 victory over Gabon

The Galatasaray forward had the chance to win it twice in the additional 12 minutes of the 90 minutes, but agonisingly wasted two glorious chances.

According to CAF, Nigeria will face the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final, after the Leopards beat Cameroon 1-0 thanks to Chancel Mbemba’s late goal.

Chelle reacts to Super Eagles' win

Head coach Eric Chelle was delighted with his team’s performance, particularly in the early stages, when he admitted that the players were so good.

“We didn't think that the game would go to extra time,” he told NFF media. “I analysed this game and in the first 30 minutes of the first half, we were so good – with the ball possession, intensity and aggressiveness.

“As a player, if you put a lot of intensity, it is normal when you physically drop. Gabon tried to play counterattacks, and we managed to deal with them.”

The Franco-Malian manager admitted that the job is not done yet and the team will regroup to focus on the match against DR Congo, after which they can smile.

Read also

Why Gabon was denied a penalty against Nigeria in World Cup playoff

“The reality is that nothing is done yet. We still have two days and another match to play. After the second game, then we can smile,” he added, as quoted by The Nation.

Chelle remains unbeaten in 10 matches in charge of the senior national team, and will hope this continues against DR Congo and through the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The former RC Lens defender coached his country, Mali, to the quarter-final of AFCON 2023, while the Super Eagles reached the final.

Chelle and Nigeria both lost to eventual champions Cote d'Ivoire, making revenge a motivation for both sides heading into the 2025 edition.

CAF sent a message to Victor Osimhen

Legit.ng reported that CAF sent a message to Victor Osimhen after the striker’s brace helped Nigeria reach the World Cup playoffs final.

The Galatasaray forward redeemed himself with two brilliant goals after missing clear-cut chances to win it for the Super Eagles during regulation time.

Source: Legit.ng