Chelle eyes back-to-back wins at the start of his tenure
03/24/2025 07:00 AM
Eric Chelle will be looking to build on his debut win as Nigeria head coach when Zimbabwe arrive at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium for a 2026 World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, March 24.
Kick-off is at 6pm CAT (SA, GMT+2)
Chelle kicked off his tenure with a 2-0 triumph over Rwanda in Kigali on March 21, having taken over the reins on a permanent basis from interim coach Augustine Eguavoen on January 7.
It was the Super Eagles’ first win in Group C as they breathed new life into the qualifying campaign after making an underwhelming start which saw them pick up just one point from their opening four matches.
The West African giants played out to three successive draws against Lesotho (1-1), Zimbabwe (0-0) and South Africa (1-1) before suffering a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Benin.
The Warriors continue to search for their first win after a 2-2 draw with the Cheetahs on March 20 left them bottom of the group on three points, three behind Nigeria, who moved up to fourth place.
Michael Nees’ side had made a decent start, holding Rwanda to a 0-0 draw in Butare and then taking two points off the Super Eagles following a 1-1 stalemate in the same city.
However, the Southern Africans slipped up in Johannesburg as they were beaten 2-0 by the Crocodiles to put further pressure on Nees and his players.
