Nigeria’s head coach, Eric Chelle, has asserted that the team’s recent difficulties in front of goal are not the fault of star forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman.
Despite being the only team to score in every Group C match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the Super Eagles had only eleven goals in nine games before facing qualifier Benin.
Osimhen scored six goals during the campaign, with half of them coming in the decisive 4-0 victory against Benin.
That game required a dramatic last-minute strike from Frank Onyeka to secure Nigeria’s place in the playoffs as one of the top-ranked second-place teams.
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Chelle explains goal-scoring issues
Chelle stressed that effective goal scoring is a coordinated process that begins with the defence and flows through the midfield to the forwards.
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Eric Chelle, the Super Eagles coach. – CAF
When questioned by Segun Odegbami on Eagle7 103.7 Sports FM about why Nigeria struggles to score despite having past and current African Footballers of the Year in Osimhen and Lookman, Chelle explained his perspective.
“I don’t know if we have problems scoring goals. This is football; to score goals, you need to have a midfielder who gives the best ball, and to give the best ball, you need to have a defender who gives the best ball to the midfielder.”
“This is the question about the group and philosophy, the way that you play. This is why every time I try to play with a lot of midfielders, because I want to dominate possession, we can find a free player who can provide the best assist,” Chelle added.
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Ademola Lookman |LIVESCORE IMAGE
“We don’t have a lot of time to work. For me, this team improves with every game, and I can adapt my game plan and philosophy to this team because now they understand me well, and I understand them well. We are focused on our project; this is the most important thing.”
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Victor Osimhen netted a hattrick for Nigeria vs Benin Republic. || Imago
Nigeria will need to defeat Gabon when they face off in the World Cup playoff semi-finals on November 13.
