AFCON 2025: Eric Chelle Reacts After Super Eagles Beat Tanzania 2-1 in Fez
- Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has shared his thoughts after Nigeria won their AFCON 2025 opening match
- The Super Eagles defeated the Taifa Stars of Tanzania 2-1, thanks to goals from Semi Ajayi and Ademola Lookman
- Nigeria sits second in Group C after Tunisia defeated Uganda 3-1 in the other fixture on Tuesday evening in Rabat
Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has reacted after Nigeria won their opening match at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The Super Eagles defeated the Taifa Stars of Tanzania 2-1 at Complexe du Sportif de Fes, thanks to goals from Semi Ajayi and Ademola Lookman.
Source: Getty Images
As noted by NFF, the Tanzanians scored between Nigeria's goals through Charles M’Mbombwa after goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali misjudged him to be offside.
Victor Osimhen, Akor Adams and Samuel Chukwueze produced Nigeria’s other attacking moments. The Galatasaray star's goal was ruled out for offside, and he had another cleared off the line.
Adams, who was making his AFCON debut, hit the crossbar, while Chukwueze forced a brilliant save from Tanzanian goalkeeper Zuberi Masudi.
Ajayi was awarded the official man of the match. Alex Iwobi was a standout performer in midfield, assisting on the two goals and creating other chances.
Watch the highlights of Nigeria's win over Tanzania below.
The Super Eagles sit second in Group C, behind the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia, who defeated the Cranes of Uganda 3-1 in Rabat. The two sides will clash in Fez on December 27.
East African rivals Uganda and Tanzania will face off in their second group games on the same day after losing their opening matches.
Eric Chelle speaks after Nigeria's win
“We have to analyse this win because in the first half we did a lot of good things, we created a lot of chances to score. In the second half, we gave Tanzania the chance to come back into the game with two mistakes,” he told CAF TV.
“We are satisfied with the three points. That is the most important. For the moment, I want to focus on the positives. The second part of the game shows clearly that there is still some work to be done, especially when it comes to killing the game.
Source: Getty Images
“We are aware of this, and we will work on it. We are happy to win, and the most important thing at AFCON is to improve in every game,” he concluded.
The Franco-Malian manager also cautioned journalists over a probing question about the ineffectiveness of Zaidu Sanusi at putting in decent crosses.
“I made a lot of choices, some were good, some were not good. I told the journalists that I have my vision and I’m the coach,” he added.
Nigerians dispute CAF's MOTM pick
Legit.ng reported that Nigerians dispute CAF’s pick for the official man of the match, claiming other players are more deserving than Semi Ajayi.
Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi was the most mentioned choice after providing two assists and dictating the play well in midfield against the Tanzanians.
Source: Legit.ng
