‘Maybe I need some time’ — Chelle speaks on Eagles’ disappointing draw against Zimbabwe

Eric Chelle, Super Eagles head coach, said his team could have scored “ten goals in the first half” of the match against Zimbabwe. 

Chelle spoke with journalists on Tuesday after the Eagles’ draw with Zimbabwe in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The Eagles played out a frustrating 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe in their sixth game of the World Cup qualification campaign.

With the draw, the Eagles’ quest for a World Cup ticket becomes bleaker. The team is fourth in Group C of the qualifiers, with just seven points from six matches.

Chelle said Nigeria deserved to win against Zimbabwe and his team was “the best on the pitch”.

He rued the team’s profligacy, adding that “maybe I need some time” with players to shape them into his ideal unit.

“My job is to analyse this game, and I think the team improved. The team improved in intensity and aggressivity with the ball. They make fast attacks. They made long possession of the ball. This is football. We’ve seen lots of games like that. Maybe I need some time, too; maybe not. But I think we deserve to win this game.

“Normally, we can score maybe ten goals in the first half. When we score a goal in the second half, we think that maybe it’s finished. It is tough because my players were the best on the pitch.

“I’m so disappointed for my players and for the country.”

The Eagles are in Group C, which includes South Africa, Rwanda, the Benin Republic, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe. Only the group winner will get the World Cup’s automatic ticket. The team that finishes second might get an opportunity to progress into the play-off if they accrued requisite cumulative points to be among the four best second-placed sides in the African qualifiers.

GROUP C STANDINGS AFTER SIX GAMES

1. South Africa — 13 points
2. Rwanda — 8 points
3. Benin Republic — 8 points
4. Nigeria — 7 points
5. Lesotho — 6 points
6. Zimbabwe — 4 points