Nigeria’s Super Eagles B crashed out of the 2024 African Nations Championship despite ending with a 2-0 win over Congo in Dar es Salaam, writes Nigeriasoccernet.com.
Earlier defeats to Sudan and Senegal had already sealed their fate.
Coach Eric Chelle admitted his team lacked the maturity to cope in decisive moments. He said: “We deserved to win this game because we had the ball and created chances… Against Sudan, the pressure was very big on the players, and what happened was an accident. We won today, but there is still a lot of regret.”
Chelle praised his players’ resilience in their final match. “They played again for our honour, and they played well. They did not want to come back to Nigeria without any point. They gave me an answer.”
He stressed the importance of experience in tournament football. “When you play a tournament, you need to have some experience to bring something,” he explained. “Senegal had great experience to win our game. They just waited for our first mistake and scored.”
The Franco-Malian tactician also highlighted issues in attack: “During the first half it was often the last technical skill, the last pass, the last dribble, or the last choice. Just before the final action we lost a lot of balls.”
Goals from Anas Yusuf and Sikiru Alimi secured the consolation victory, but Sudan and Senegal advanced, leaving Nigeria to reflect on missed opportunities.