Day 19 (Monday, 5 January, 2026)
A Vote for Eric Chelle
A Dream Day Comes True in Fez
IT WAS the day in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) that Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle had been dreaming of. The day when everything that he dreamt of turned into reality. The day when everything that he touched turned to gold. Well, almost everything.
A Ruthless Round of 16 Statement
AFCON 2025 Round of 16 encounter. Match number 42. Monday, 5 January, 2025. Complexe Sportif de Fez. Final score: Nigeria 4, Mozambique 0. Four great goals, and there could have been more. Clean sheet, no goal conceded. Ball possession, near-total dominance. Territorial control, total. Game management, excellent. Quarterfinal ticket, in the bag. Marrakech, here we come.
Chelle’s Calm, Focused Leadership
“I am very happy with the performance of my players,” Chelle said at the post-match conference. “We played a good game today and we were rewarded with a good result. We will remain focused and humble. As I always say, the most important game is the next game, so we must focus on that now.”
In outclassing Mozambique in Fez, Nigeria threw down the marker for all other teams at the AFCON about its seriousness to compete for the trophy. The 4-0 scoreline was the biggest in any match so far in the tournament, and everybody would have been watching and taking notice.
Dismissing the ‘Weak Opponent’ Narrative
I had a conversation with a colleague after the match. He suggested that we probably shouldn’t read much into the Eagles’ victory because Mozambique was a weak opponent. “And whose fault is that,” I asked. “Is that the fault of the Super Eagles?” My colleague had to back down. “Yes, the Eagles can only play against the team that was put in front of them,” he conceded. Thank you, end of discussion.
To put the scoreline in perspective, “weak opponent” Mozambique had only lost 1-0 apiece to heavyweights Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroun in the group phase, but Nigeria had taken the Mambas to the cleaners. It was a statement win.
Before the game, I was interviewed by a crew from Elegbete RadioTV, one of Nigeria’s most popular Internet-based New Media sports channels. The presenter suggested that the Super Eagles were perhaps “the stronger team on paper,” but I interjected immediately. “The Super Eagles are also the stronger team on the pitch,” I said. The boys proved me right with an emphatic victory against Mozambique.
I have thrown my weight fully behind the Eagles and Eric Chelle at this tournament since that masterclass of a performance against Tunisia in their second match of the group phase. Despite their wobble in the last 15 minutes of that game when Tunisia recovered two goals from 3-0 down, I wrote in my diary that it was the Super Eagles’ best team performance in four years. Another colleague, Emeka Obasi, actually extended that to 10 years.
Why Retaining Chelle Was the Right Call
Truly, the Eagles have disappointed us in recent times by failing to qualify for two FIFA World Cups back-to-back now.
Coming into this tournament, even I didn’t have much faith in them like most Nigerians. But I wrote that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) decision to retain Eric Chelle was the right one because it would have been ‘stupid’ to repeat the mistakes of the past when changing coaches on the eve of major competitions ‘always ended badly.’
Dominance Turned Into Goals
With what I have seen so far in Morocco, retaining Chelle has been justified. The coach deserves credit for turning the Eagles into a team that dominates the opposition now, and scores goals aplenty. Against Tunisia, Uganda and Mozambique in their last three games, the Eagles converted their dominance into emphatic 3-0 leads before winning 3-2, 3-1 and 4-0. It was only in their opening match against Tanzania that they struggled initially to find a foothold before securing a 2-1 win. Looking back now, that ‘struggle’ could be explained by the fact that it was their first game and they hadn’t settled down fully. Against Mozambique, we saw a team that has fully settled and the final score told the story.
No Predictions, Just Conviction
Am I predicting then that the Eagles are the best team at the 2025 AFCON and that they will emerge as Champions? Nope. I am not making any prediction. Recall that I wrote earlier in my diary that the AFCON has become highly competitive and many more countries have demonstrated the capacity to win it. It used to be Egypt (seven titles) and Cameroun (five) dominating with back-to-back-to-back triumphs, but that is no longer the case. During the last decade especially, Senegal have come up very strongly, while Morocco, Nigeria, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire are not far away. If any of these heavyweights win the trophy, it won’t be a slight on the others as only one team can be champions.
Scores to Settle in Marrakech
Nigeria’s opponents in the quarterfinals in Marrakech on Saturday will be the winner of the clash tonight in Casablanca between Algeria and another re-emerging force, the Democratic Republic of Congo. When Eric Chelle was asked which opponent he would prefer, he only smiled and said he couldn’t make a choice. All he could do is to prepare his team in readiness for what promises to be another tough game.
Nigeria has scores to settle with both teams. Algeria, our eternal rivals, knocked the Eagles out in the semifinals of the 2019 AFCON on their way to winning it, while DR Congo most recently eliminated us from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It would be nice to exert a measure of revenge, but let’s wait for them to sort each other out first.
My Vote Stands With Eric Chelle
Ahead of the Round of 16 game against Mozambique, Chelle had said that the “real tournament was just starting” because he had put the first phase behind him. In my opinion, the “real tournament” actually starts at the quarterfinal stage because of the pedigree of the teams that will contest it. But whatever the outcome of the entire tournament for Nigeria, win the trophy or not, my early vote remains with Eric Chelle to continue as Super Eagles coach. He has earned it.
Osimhen’s Petulance
ERIC Chelle has a fire to quench in the Eagles camp ahead of their quarterfinal match in Marrakech on Saturday as a potential spilt between his two top goal scorers threatens to disrupt team harmony.
With Nigeria leading 3-0 against Mozambique, top striker Victor Osimhen on two goals was apparently upset that his strike partner Ademola Lookman did not pass the ball to him to have a chance of completing his hat-trick. Not even the intervention of captain Wilfred Ndidi could calm him down and he angrily requested to be substituted by Chelle which was wisely granted by the coach. Osimhen subsequently left the pitch without acknowledging the fans although he exchanged high fives with Chelle and his colleagues in the dugout.
Lookman’s selection as Man of the Man at the final whistle (his second of the tournament) would certainly not have improved Osimhen’s mood as he probably feels that a hat-trick against Mozambique would have secured him the MOTM prize ahead of Lookman.
When Lookman was asked at the press conference whether he had spoken to Osimhen, he said no, but he saluted his teammate. Eric Chelle would also not be drawn on the matter, saying any disagreements would be resolved behind closed doors. A wise decision.
Also Read: AFCON 2025 Diary Day 15: Sights, Sounds & Stories From Fez As Super Eagles Go Behind Closed Doors
The Eagles must stay united to have any chance of victory and I hope Victor Osimhen will see that bigger picture. Incidentally, Lookman assisted the three goals that he has scored so far in the tournament, so hopefully he will realize that they need each other and stop his petulant behaviour.
Mr.Chef Hit the Bullseye!
I SCORED a bullseye in my Super Eagles team selection for the Mozambique game. Despite Coach Eric Chelle complaining about a “selection headache” and keeping his lineup secret, I was able to pick the correct starting 11. Go and check my diary entry for yesterday, Sunday, 4 January, 2025. You will see that my Mr.ChefNigeria Super Eagles Likely XI was exactly the lineup that appeared on Chelle’s team sheet. Respect!
Mr.ChefNigeria Super Eagles Likely XI (4-3-3): Stanley Nwabali, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Simi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey, Bruno Onyemaechi, Wilfred Ndidi (captain), Frank Onyeka, Alex Iwobi, Ademola Lookman, Akor Adams, Victor Osimhen.
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By Mumini Alao, in Fez
Photos by Ganiyu Yusuf
1 Comment
It was really pointless for him to react that way…the team was already three goals up…you want to bring disunity to the team because of a hattrick? Thank God I am getting vindicated…osimhen is too arrogant.. the other he almost beat up the tunisian coach but was held back by his team mates… now it is lookman… who knows tomorrow he may decide to fight the ref… then some clueless people will say he reacted out of passion…And then when that happens we will have to kiss this afcon goodbye…