Julius OkorieSuper Eagles coach Eric Chelle, has revealed what the team did right that tickled his fancy on Friday night in Kigali.
It was not just about the victory, it was the boys work rate within a few days of hitting the camp. Chelle who is likely to record another win when the Eagles take on Warriors of Zimbabwe on Tuesday in Uyo, said shortly after the match “It was a difficult game; Rwanda have a great team. I am proud of my players’ performance. We worked a lot within the few days.”
Join our WhatsApp Channel“We had just two full training sessions. We kept the ball well in the second half—good performance from my guys (players).”
Chelle’s one on one approach to the players ahead of the Kigali showdown may have worked wonders. Aside from embarking on a tour of Europe where he visited some of the players, he also had a chat with Osimhen, informing the Galatasaray strong man of his desire to work hand in hand with the Eagles in the quest for the World Cup ticket. Talking about what he had discussed with Chelle, Osimhen said
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“He said that he needs me and the senior players on the team to work with him to achieve amazing things for Nigeria.
“But he said the one who does not run or fight for every ball will not play. He was clear with me. He said he can be a big brother or an uncle to everybody. But on the pitch it is business, if the younger players see us running crazy, they will do it also.”
“He said, ‘I might scream at you guys, I might do a lot of stuff, but don’t take it to heart.”
The popular Amahoro Stadium in Kigali was full to capacity Friday night as Eagles claimed two goals and three points. Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, was on hand to watch Amavubi battle Eagles, losing for the first time on home soil. It is however not yet uhuru for the Eagles as they have to work harder to earn more wins, especially considering the shape of the table following Friday matches.
President Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame at the Amahoro Stadium for Amavubi and Super Eagles match on Friday.
South Africa have shot to the top of the table after a 2-0 win over Lesotho with 10 points followed Genot Rohr tutored Benin Republic who settled for a 2-2 draw against Zimbabwe.
Although they lost to Nigeria, Rwanda still occupies third position on the log with seven points, a point ahead of fourth placed Nigeria.
More changes are expected after the next round of matches on Tuesday when Rwanda take on Lesotho while Nigeria host Zimbabwe and Benin host South Africa.
A look at the all the group tables show that Egypt leads Group A with 13 points, Sudan leads Group B with 10 points, South Africa leads Group C with 10 points while Cape Verde are on the driving seat in Group D with 10 points. Other Group leaders are Morocco, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Tunisia, Ghana and Gabon respectively.
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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