Super Eagles’ head coach, Eric Sekou Chelle is staying defiant, despite his side’s 3-0 loss to Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday, as he stressed that it is not the end for Nigeria in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
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Sports247 reports that, in spite of widespread criticism trailing him and his players after their huge defeat by one of Africa’s less fancied squads, the Franco-Malian gaffer added that his wards gave a good account of themselves on a poor surface.
He, however, also admitted that The Wild Dogs showed a stronger zeal for victory during the encounter and they also expressed more determination on the bumpy pitch of 24th September Stadium in Bissau.
“They were more aggressive than us, and they were better than us. This is not an excuse, but they know the pitch and the condition was tough for us.
“The pitch was very bad, and it was the first time we were playing there. The weather was very bad, too, but Guinea-Bissau entered the game with more aggressiveness,” Chelle conceded.
The former head coach of Mali’s national team and MC Oran of Algeria also took a look at technicalities of the game and admitted that his players put up the worst performance they have had since he took over the saddle in January 2025, but quickly added that he will start working to rectify the situation.
“We need to put in more aggressive effort and intensity to make a difference. They had more intensity and more motivation, to which we never found a solution.
“We tried to go forward with something different after half time but, after ten minutes, we stopped, and I don’t know why.
“I tried to bring in something new, but it did not work. So, we have to be very objective about this game; but this is not the end,” Chelle submitted emphatically.
Sports247 reports further that Chelle and his players have already turned their focus on the upcoming international friendly away to Russia, after which they will regroup in November to continue the AFCON 2027 qualifiers with a home and away double header against Tanzania.
