I was pushed to the brink during the last minutes of the match, says Eric Chelle

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle admitted he was pushed to the brink during the closing stages of the Super Eagles’ dramatic 3–2 victory over Tunisia at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, as his side almost threw away a commanding advantage late on.

“Those last 15 minutes or so will probably give me nightmares,” he confessed. “I was going a little bit crazy on the touchline because the players had put in a huge performance and they deserved a big game like this.

Chelle stressed that the challenge was magnified by the quality and resilience of the opposition, describing the encounter as a true examination of his team’s progress.

It was a real test against a big team like Tunisia,” he continued. “This is a side that didn’t concede a single goal during the World Cup qualifiers.

To score three goals against them is massive for us. For me, that alone makes it a great game.”

The Nigerian coach also highlighted his team’s dominance for long spells, particularly in possession and control of the tempo.

For about 70 minutes, we managed the ball very well and imposed ourselves,” Chelle explained. “That’s the level we want to maintain.”

However, he was quick to acknowledge that the late Tunisian comeback exposed areas that still require improvement as the tournament progresses.

We still need to play a game that truly gives us confidence and clearly shows our ambitions,” he added. “There are positives in Tunisia’s comeback. It shows there is still work to do, things we must improve.

Chelle concluded by emphasizing that the scare will serve as motivation rather than discouragement for both himself and his squad.

This kind of experience will keep me and my players motivated,” he said, “because we know we can be better.