Defending champions Senegal opened their title defense at the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) PAMOJA 2024 with a narrow 1-0 victory over Nigeria’s Super Eagles B in their Group D opener at Amaan Stadium on Tuesday.
Christian Gomis netted the decisive goal in the 75th minute, finishing off a swift counter-attack initiated by substitute Moctar Koïté.
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Despite Nigeria’s late push for an equalizer, Senegal’s defense, led by Seyni Ndiaye and Joseph Layousse, remained solid to secure the three points.
The first half was evenly contested, with both teams failing to capitalize on clear chances.
Nigeria, making a return to the CHAN finals for the first time since 2018, showed early intent through Sikiru Alimi and Jabbar Malik but lacked clinical finishing.
Senegal’s second-half tactical changes made the difference, as Koïté’s pace created the breakthrough for Gomis’ winner.
Nigeria’s coach Éric Sekou Chelle expressed disappointment with his team’s lack of intensity and mental readiness during the match.
“Senegal was more aggressive than us and put more intensity into the game. They deserved the victory. We gave away the goal due to mistakes and failed to play our football for most of the game,” Chelle said.
“We need to be more ambitious, aggressive, and competitive. If we continue playing like this, we might return to Nigeria early. Our mindset must change ahead of the next matches against Sudan and Congo if we want to qualify.”
With the win, Senegal moves top of Group D, extending their unbeaten run against West African sides in CHAN history and recording their sixth 1-0 tournament victory. Nigeria sits bottom of the group and faces a must-win clash against Sudan in their second fixture.
Group D action continues with Congo set to face Senegal next, while Sudan prepares for a pivotal showdown with Nigeria as the race for quarter-final spots heats up.
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