Eric Chelle Explains How Super Eagles Must React After 3–0 Loss to Guinea-Bissau
- Nigeria suffered a 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau on matchday two of their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign
- The result marked Eric Chelle's first competitive loss in regulation time since taking charge of the Super Eagles
- Chelle has already shifted his focus to November's double-header against Tanzania as his team's chance to respond
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Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has urged his players to put their heavy defeat behind them and channel their energy into the November international break, where Nigeria will face Tanzania in back-to-back 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The call for resilience came after Nigeria's qualifying campaign suffered a serious setback on matchday two, with Guinea-Bissau beating the Super Eagles 3-0, as noted by CAF.
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The result was a first competitive defeat in regulation time for Chelle since he took over as manager, and it arrived at a moment when momentum in the group was critical.
Chelle keeps faith in his squad
Despite the scale of the loss, Chelle during his post-match conference was measured in his response.
“To be very objective about this game, this is not the end, we have many games to play. We have two games against Tanzania in November, we have to win both games,” he said via ANS.
The Malian coach acknowledged the performance fell well below expectations but stopped short of pointing fingers at individuals.
“I am very confident about my team, today was not a good day for us. This is the first time that I see my team like that, so we will have to go forward, both games against Tanzania are very important,” he added.
Chelle was clear that awareness of the team's limitations does not shake his belief in their ability to recover.
“We have to stay focused and calm, we know our strengths and weaknesses, and today was a bad day for us, but I am still confident about my team and players,” he concluded.
Before the November qualifiers, Chelle will have one more opportunity to assess his squad. The Super Eagles are set to face Russia in a friendly on October 6, the final fixture of the current international break, giving the coach a chance to restore confidence ahead of the decisive Tanzania fixtures.
Eric Chelle apologises to Nigerians
Legit.ng previously reported that Eric Chelle apologised to Nigerians after the humiliating 3-0 defeat away at Guinea-Bissau.
The Super Eagles head coach admitted that even though some factors worked against the team, their hosts were better, and he takes responsibility.
Source: Legit.ng
