Julius OkorieIn an attempt to ensure maximum concentration, the Super Eagles coach, Eric Chelle, has shut the doors against visitors to the team’s Uyo camp, ahead of their must win encounter against the Warriors of Zimbabwe on Tuesday.
A statement dished out by the team to that effect read thus, “Coach Eric Chelle is not carried away by the win over Rwanda and is demanding maximum concentration from the players ahead of the next game.”
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAs part of the no blinking strategy, the team held Sunday’s training behind closed doors.
Monday’s session Primebusiness.africa however gathered, will be open to the media for about 15 minutes.
The Eagles grabbed two goals and three points on Friday in Kigali and another victory in Uyo on Tuesday will boost the team’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, which many soccer loving Nigerians insist must be a must attend, especially after the team failed to feature at the last World Cup in Qatar.
The mandate given to Chelle who was appointed by the NFF in January, is to qualify the Eagles for the next World Cup.
Despite being a working day, the Godswill Akpabio Stadium is expected to be full to capacity on Tuesday as Nigerians seldom miss opportunity to watch Eagles play any team at home.
No fewer than 15 qualifying matches have been lined up across the continent on Tuesday.
Although, all the teams in Group C are under pressure, as the battle for points continue, there are strong indications that more pressure will be on Benin Republic who have been using Abidjan as their home ground.
They face South Africa who lead the group, with the venue likely to serve as a neutral ground for visiting Hugo Broos boys.
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Should Nigeria, South Africa and Rwanda earn wins against Zimbabwe, Benin Republic and Lesotho in that order, Gernot Rohr tutored Benin will be displaced from their current second position on the log. South Africa will maintain their lead with 13 points, followed by Rwanda with 10 points and Nigeria with nine points. Some other heavy weight matches that will take the centre stage on Tuesday include Egypt against Sierra Leone, Cameroon against Libya and Senegal against Togo.
Just as Victor Osimhen’s brace earned Nigeria victory over Rwanda, so did Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s brace earn Gabon victory over Kenya. The victory handed Kenya’s new coach and former South Africa international Benni McCarthy his first defeat in charge of Harambee stars at a sold-out Nyayo Stadium on Sunday.
Aubameyang scored in either half, the second from the penalty spot and despite Kenya’s efforts to find their way back after striker Michael Olunga had reduced the deficit, the Panthers held on to register a 2-1 win, their fifth win of the qualification campaign.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
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