Nigeria’s CHAN head coach, Eric Chelle, has praised the high intensity and technical quality of the 2024 African Nations Championship despite his side suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to defending champions Senegal in their Group C opener on Tuesday.

Returning to the continental tournament after missing the last two editions, Nigeria fell behind in the 75th minute to a well-organized Senegalese side. But while disappointed with the result, Chelle was quick to commend the standard of play on display.

“I am surprised about the intensity,” Chelle admitted post-match. “There are a lot of good teams and a lot of quality. I think the pitches are very good, allowing for fast-paced and technical football. This would be a great CHAN competition.”

Nigeria had previously made strong appearances in 2014, 2016, and 2018, but missed out on qualification in 2020 and 2022. Expectations were high for the home-based Eagles, yet they were second-best for much of the opening half.

Chelle was candid in his assessment of the match, conceding that his team failed to match Senegal’s intensity early on and paid the price for a defensive lapse.

“Senegal deserved their victory because we just played 20 minutes in the second half,” he said. “During the first half, I didn’t recognize my team. Senegal was more aggressive than us, they put more intensity, and it’s very normal for them to go ahead and win.”

Despite a better showing in the second period—with Nigeria creating some chances and playing more confidently—Chelle acknowledged it was too little, too late.

“When we started playing, we created chances, kept the ball well, and showed glimpses of our attacking flair,” he noted. “But we need to be more ambitious and aggressive—to press higher up the pitch and win the ball back quickly.”

Now facing a must-win second group match against Sudan, Chelle emphasized the need for a change in mentality, calling on his players to step up and fight harder.

“We need to change our state of mind,” he said. “We need to be more aggressive, to dominate possession and create scoring opportunities. You simply can’t win matches if you lose all duels, especially in the midfield. We created no chances in the first half. We cannot let that happen.”