Eric Chelle’s technical prowess came under scrutiny during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier between the Super Eagles and Zimbabwe. The Warriors of Zimbabwe came to Uyo and departed with a decent point after a stoppage time equaliser. It was Nigeria’s third consecutive home draw. Nigeria remains winless at home in as many matches.

Against the Warriors of Zimbabwe last Tuesday, the Eagles laboured for 74 minutes before Victor Osimhen broke the deadlock with a diving header. Soon after Osimhen’s goal the visitors reacted with a furious counter that saw the ball ricocheted off the belly of Nigeria’s cross bar and came back to the field of play only for Calvin Bassey to clear the ball away.

Despite that warning, the Nigeria coach made some inexplicable substitutions. He took off Osimhen who signalled to be subbed. At the time, Nigeria already had four forwards on the pitch—Osimhen, Moses Simon, Ademola Lookman, and Tolu Arokodare. Instead of bringing on a midfielder to strengthen the team’s defensive shape, Chelle opted for Victor Boniface, maintaining the attacking setup.

This decision left Nigeria’s midfield exposed at a crucial moment when Zimbabwe were increasing pressure in search of an equaliser. Sports journalist China Achero carpeted Super Eagles coach

for bringing in a striker when it was noticeable that the defenders were tired with their legs wobbling. “We needed fortification at the back, not an attacker” Achero said in a chat on News Central last night monitored by our correspondent.

Achero, who manages a popular radio station in Port Harcourt, insisted that the coach should shoulder the blame for the annoying draw. “You don’t blame the players but the coach. If we blamed only the players, Rohr wouldn’t have been asked to go, Peseiro would not have gone either, Finidi, Eguavoen, all would have been allowed to stay because it was the players’ fault. It was the coach’s fault that we could not manage the slim lead. It was clear he failed.”

A fan on YouTube insisted that coach Chelle should be held responsible. “The mistake Coach Chelle committed was the substitution of Osimhen,” she told her interviewer. “The moment Osimhen was taken off, that emboldened the Zimbabweans who surged forward, something they were scared of doing before because they dreaded his presence and could not afford to leave their backline open because of Osimhen. The coach goofed by substituting him.”

Achero had no sympathy for the Super Eagles players either. He said, “If you have a World Cup and you play three home games without a win then you have no business going to the World Cup.”

Former Nigeria international Etim Esin wondered why the team could not defend one goal lead with just a few minutes left. “I blame it on the technical crew. Leading one nil, and with the way the Zimbabweans were coming at us, what the coach needed to do at that time was to shuffle the team, take out one attacker and bring in a defender to shore up the defence. What the technical crew did or did not do cost us that match,” he said, questioning, “If Osimhen doesn’t score for Nigeria, can’t another person step up and score? How can you score a goal in the 74th minute and you could not defend it?”

The issue of Nigeria’s dependence on foreign-based players reared its head again as the outcome of the Super Eagles vs Zimbabwe match was being analysed. Etim recalled that in 1991 Nigeria defeated Burkina Faso 7-1 at the national stadium Lagos.. “Westerhof left us on the bench and used the likes of Finidi George, Friday Elaho and a few others who were home based and they performed well because we had a good league. Look at the South African team. It’s about the strongest team on the continent yet they don’t have Europe based players. It was evident that the Super Eagles players who are regulars in their European clubs could not play at full steam for 90 minutes. If we had a solid domestic league that supplied players to the national team we would not be affected by such problems like altitude in our own country.”

Some spectators who were at the stadium to cheer the Super Eagles blamed the team for their woes.

Critics have cast their doubts on whether the Super Eagles will qualify for the global show piece to be hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Chelle has now overseen two games as Super Eagles head coach, winning one and drawing one. While his first victory against Rwanda was a positive start, this draw highlights the importance of tactical awareness, especially in managing a game in the closing stages.

With Nigeria now trailing Group C leaders South Africa by six points, the Super Eagles have little room for error in their remaining qualifiers. Chelle must learn from this setback and make better tactical decisions if Nigeria is to keep their World Cup hopes alive.


https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/03/2026-wcq-eric-chelle-rekindling-old-fears/