Nigeria's Late Surge: Chelle finds consolation in Eagles' response, Ngatsono seeks lessons for Congo

CAF

14 hours ago

Nigeria may have bowed out of the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024, but coach Eric Chelle insists their parting act against Congo was a reminder of the Eagles' quality.
His side's 2-0 win at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam not only denied Congo progression but also offered Chelle a bittersweet sense of what might have been.
'We showed our technical ability in the last part of the match, but we lost several balls before that,' Chelle reflected.
'In any case, we played well. Our performance was great and we deserved to win the match. I really feel sorry because our last match was good, but the previous two matches had mistakes. We started at a high speed and had a lot of possession.'
Chelle's regret was palpable, but so too was his admiration for a group of players he described as 'young cubs' finding their way under heavy pressure.
Playing for honour, not survival
While Nigeria's elimination was confirmed, the coach took pride in the manner his players approached their final outing. To him, the victory carried significance beyond the scoreboard.
'I don't think my cubs let me down,' Chelle stressed.
'The pressure was high on these young players, and they sometimes played scared. But during the last match against Congo, they played for honor, and that's why they performed well.
"Letdown doesn't come from winning this match. Our players responded to the previous results and said they didn't want to go home with zero points.
That resilience, he argued, will form the foundation for a stronger future, especially as the team recovers from their heaviest blow—the loss to Sudan.
'Our deep regret stems from our heavy defeat to Sudan, but that's football.
"We will carefully analyze the Sudan match to make up for what happened in the future,' Chelle admitted.
Preparation: Nigeria's missing ingredient
Beyond tactics and desire, Chelle pointed to structural weaknesses that handicapped his team long before the tournament began.
A lack of extended preparation and a hastily assembled squad left the Eagles at a disadvantage compared to rivals.
'The preparations for a CHAN tournament should start a year in advance,' Chelle explained.
'For example, the player who won the Man of the Match award against Congo, Alex, I put him on our list for the tournament a week before we left, and everyone said, 'Why did you call him up when he's not known?'
"We weren't ready to participate in this tournament. Whoever attends our training sessions will notice that our players weren't mentally prepared to participate in this version of the tournament.'
Congo's Ngatsono: beaten by a 'wounded lion'
On the opposite bench, Congo coach Barthelemy Ngatsono conceded that his team's fate was sealed by a stronger opponent, describing Nigeria as a 'wounded lion' that roared when it mattered most.
'As I said before the match, it won't be easy, especially since Nigeria isn't exactly an easy team,' Ngatsono admitted.
'The opponent was able to control the ball. We tried to make some changes in the second half, but we lacked the necessary focus, and that's what led to our loss in the match.'
The defeat ensured Congo's exit, but Ngatsono remained philosophical, stressing that his 'cubs' gained valuable experience despite the painful outcome.
Lessons for the future
Ngatsono echoed Chelle's lament about preparation, noting that his youthful team was not adequately primed for the demands of CHAN.
'The lessons I learned about our national team were the poor preparations before the start of the tournament.
"However, our young players did not disappoint. Many of them did not prepare sufficiently, which will push us to strive for better preparation in the future,' he said.
He also acknowledged Nigeria's superiority in readiness and fitness.
'Nigeria were better prepared and physically fit than us, so we couldn't control the ball as well. Despite our good preparation before the match, we weren't as good as we had planned.'
A tale of two exits
In the end, both Nigeria and Congo left the competition at the group stage, but their final clash was about more than elimination.
For Chelle, it was about proving pride and sending a message of growth; for Ngatsono, it was about gathering lessons and shaping the future.
The coaches' reflections capture two sides of African football's constant struggle: turning raw promise into lasting performance, and ensuring preparation matches ambition.