Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle says the closing stages of the Super Eagles’ 3-2 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) win over Tunisia will stay with him, after a dominant display turned into a tense finish in Fes.
Nigeria were in full control for much of Saturday’s Group C encounter, racing into a three-goal lead against a Tunisian side famed for its defensive organisation. But a late fightback from the Carthage Eagles forced Nigeria to defend deep into stoppage time.
“Those final minutes will give me nightmares, i was going a little bit crazy about what was happening because the players deserved a big game.”
Photo Credit: AFP
Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman were all on target as Nigeria broke down a defence that had not conceded during World Cup qualifying.
“Tunisia didn’t let in one goal during the World Cup qualifiers, three goals against this team – for me, this is a great game.”
Eric Chelle. Photo Credit: CAF
Nigeria’s grip loosened late on when Montassar Talbi headed in from a set piece before a VAR review awarded Tunisia a penalty, converted by Ali Abdi to reduce the deficit and raise anxiety among the Nigerian bench.
Despite the late scare, Chelle was adamant his side deserved the victory and explained his substitutions.
“You can say what you want, but the reality is that we deserve this win, we can’t do 90 minutes with big, high pressure. We did it for 75 minutes and that’s why I made two winger substitutions” he said.
Photo Credit: Making of Champions
Nigeria held firm through seven minutes of added time to secure the win, confirming qualification for the round of 16 and top spot in Group C.
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Chelle believes Tunisia’s late rally exposed areas Nigeria must still address as the tournament progresses.
“It was a test against a big team like Tunisia, there are positives in their comeback. It shows there is still something for us to work on and something to improve.”
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Nigeria face Uganda in their final group game, while Tunisia must beat Tanzania to keep their AFCON hopes alive.
