Sudan, on Tuesday, humiliated Chelle’s Super Eagles B with a four goal beating in the African Nations Championship.
The result secured their place as strong title challengers and ended Nigeria’s hopes of winning their first CHAN crown since the tournament began in 2009.
Sudan coach Kwesi Appiah, who once led Ghana’s national team, admitted he did not expect such a big score.
His players kept to the plan and held full control. Appiah waited until the seventy ninth minute to make his first change when Mubarak Abdallah came in for Salah Adel. That choice showed his confidence in the starting team.
A Plan That Worked Perfectly
Appiah shared his simple approach. He told his side to defend hard for the first twenty minutes then hit Nigeria on the counter attack. He believed they could win but was surprised by the size of the victory.
Despite the heavy defeat, Appiah praised Nigeria’s talent. He said the Super Eagles B coach only needed to sharpen the attack.
He pointed out that Nigeria showed good moments in earlier matches but Sudan’s game plan was too strong.
Appiah said: “I was surprised with the performance of some of my players. If you noticed, my changes came deep into the second half because everyone was playing really well. I wasn’t expecting the scoreline, but I knew if we play our best, we could defeat Nigeria. The coach only needs to do some polishing with the attack. The first game against Senegal wasn’t that bad; in the second game, they had stints of possession, but our approach helped us.”
Chelle Faces His Worst Game as Coach
For Nigeria’s Eric Chelle the match was painful. He called it the worst game he had ever overseen from the bench. His squad had already been weakened before the event as eight key players left for clubs abroad.
Chelle admitted that the team’s CHAN run was over and that the last group match would be played only for pride. He warned that if they faced Congo with the same weak mindset the score could be worse than against Sudan.
He blamed the loss on costly mistakes. A Nigerian goal was ruled out early which affected the players’ focus. Four defensive errors followed and each one led to a goal for Sudan.
Chelle said: “We have lost all ambition. The CHAN is over for us. We have a third match to play for our honour and respect. But I am disappointed by this match. It is the worst game I’ve overseen from the dugout as coach.”
Sudan now prepare for a top of the table clash with Senegal to decide group leaders. Nigeria will fight to avoid leaving the tournament without a win when they face Congo.
