SUPER Eagles B of Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle has blamed his side’s defeat to Senegal in their opening Group D clash against Senegal in the African Nations Championship (CHAN) to the inability to win duels.
The Nigerian side were beaten 1-0 by defending champions Senegal in Zanzibar last night, with Christian Gomis scoring the only goal 15 minutes from time following a mix-up in the Super Eagles B defence.
Chelle, who is also the head coach of the full Super Eagles squad, lamented his team’s lack of physical presence and failure to control the match.
“We lost every duel against Senegal, and we must do better,” Chelle said in a post-match interview.
“We need to try to play football. We enjoy it when we play, create chances to score, keep the ball. But when we lose the ball for 20 minutes, they score. And this is football.”
“Senegal deserved their victory because we just played 20 minutes in the second half.
“During the first half, I didn’t recognise my team. Senegal was more aggressive than us, they put more intensity, and it’s very normal for them to go ahead and win.”
The Super Eagles B struggled for composure and fluidity against the Lions, and Chelle admitted Senegal’s dominance in the physical battles.
“We need to win games, we must be ambitious, and to do that, we need to be more aggressive,” the former Mali coach added.
The Super Eagles B are currently bottom of their group following the 1-1 draw between Congo and Sudan, also yesterday.
Chelle and his men are up against Sudan next Tuesday as they hope to get their first victory of the tournament.