Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle has praised his players for securing a crucial 2-0 victory over Rwanda in Kigali but insists they must improve ahead of their next fixture against Zimbabwe.
The win at the Amahoro Stadium marked Chelle’s first victory in his first game since taking charge, and it came courtesy of a first-half brace from Victor Osimhen.
The Galatasaray forward led the line brilliantly, scoring in the 11th and 45th minutes to hand Nigeria their first three points in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
After a shaky start to the campaign that included three draws and a loss, the Super Eagles finally found their rhythm under Chelle, who emphasized the importance of tactical discipline and teamwork in his post-match remarks.
“It was a difficult game, Rwanda has a great team. I am proud of my players performance. We work a lot within the few days,” Chelle said after the match.
Despite the win, the Malian tactician stressed that the team must keep improving.
“We had just two full training sessions. We keep the ball in the second half, good performance from my guys (players),” he admitted.
Chelle also discussed his tactical approach and his decision to experiment with different systems during the match.
“It is my joy to set up the system, we tried two different systems in the team. We need to improve, it is the first game and we are going back to work for the second game.”
The 47-year-old further emphasized the importance of squad depth and collective effort in achieving their qualification goals.
“Every player in the team can play, we need to work together and achieve the goal of qualifying for the World Cup. We have great players. Today, the team was good, my job is to make the decisions, decide on the system and personality.”
With Nigeria now fourth in Group C with six points, Chelle is already shifting focus to the upcoming clash with Zimbabwe in Uyo.
“There is a second game on March 25, so we need to be ready for this game,” he said.
After five matches, South Africa lead the group with 10 points, followed by Benin with eight, Rwanda with seven, and Nigeria with six. With four more matches to play, the Super Eagles will need a strong run of results to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
