Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle says his focus has now fully shifted to Sunday’s CAF World Cup playoff final against DR Congo, insisting Nigeria is steadily forging a new identity under his leadership.
Chelle spoke after the Super Eagles’ dramatic 4–1 extra-time victory over Gabon on Thursday, a win that showcased both resilience and tactical growth despite recent off-field turbulence.
Chelle: “The most important thing is creating an identity.”
Avoiding any discussion about the internal issues that rocked the team days earlier, Chelle emphasized the long-term vision he has been trying to instill since taking charge.
“I don’t want to talk about what happened before, inside the camp,” he said.
“Since I came, we’ve tried to work, we’ve tried to create an identity. We talk all the time about the game project. The most important thing for our team is to create an identity in how you play in defense and how you play in offense.”
The Malian tactician highlighted the difficulty of building a cohesive style with very little preparation time due to tight FIFA international windows.
“We only get two or three training sessions,” Chelle explained.
“But this group is improving mentally and technically. They understand what I want from them. They need time, but the reality is we don’t have much of it. Maybe after the second game, we will be able to smile.”
“We dominated the first 30 minutes.” Chelle on Gabon clash
Chelle admitted the match lasting 120 minutes wasn’t part of the plan, but he praised Nigeria’s control during the early stages.
“We didn’t think the game would go into extra time,” he said.
“But I analyzed the first half. For 30 minutes, we were very good with ball possession, intensity, and aggressiveness. Gabon tried to play on the counter, but we managed it well.”
Nigeria ultimately blew the game open in extra time, with Chidera Ejuke and Victor Osimhen leading the charge after Gabon forced a late equalizer in regulation.
Eyes now on DR Congo
With momentum back in their favour, the Super Eagles now prepare for DR Congo in Sunday’s playoff final a must-win fixture to qualify for the inter-confederation playoffs in March, the final step toward booking a ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
