By Korede James
Super Eagles of Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle has said he told his players that they have no margin for error in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers after a shoddy start.
The Super Eagles secured their first victory of the qualifying series in their fifth attempt by beating Rwanda 2-0 in Kigali on Friday, but are still fourth in six-team African qualifying Group C, four points adrift of leaders South Africa.
The Super Eagles host bottom side Zimbabwe in Uyo on Tuesday, Chelle’s team needing to win to keep alive their flickering hopes of securing the only automatic available ticket open to the group.
“I talked to my players and I told them I want to win every game, so I’m focused on the next game which is against Zimbabwe, and after the game against Zimbabwe we can think about the next game,” Chelle said during Monday’s press conference.
“But now I just want to talk about the Zimbabwe game which is the most important for my team.”
Chelle said he was delighted for his players for the win away to Rwanda.
“It’s just one game and we’ve done the job and I was happy for my players, happy for the country but this is just one game,” the former Mali international added.
“After the game I said we need to be focused on the second game, which is the most important now. I was proud of my players for what they did in Rwanda it was very difficult but they did the job.
“So yesterday (Sunday) we had a good training session. We need to go again to the pitch to prepare for the game tomorrow.”
Despite coming up against the weakest team in the group, the former Mali head coach, however, predicted a difficult match for his side.
“It will not be easy because Zimbabwe are a good team with good players and a good coach who has a good project so we need to be focused on our team and do everything to win,” Chelle added.
When asked what players of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) can add to the Super Eagles, Chelle added: “I think there are lots of players in the Nigerian league who can add something to our national team but they need to work and know how my team plays.
“So this is why I picked three players (from the league) and they are very good for the future.”
The match will kick off at 5pm at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in the Akwa Ibom State capital.
