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Sudan defeated Nigeria 4-0 in CHAN after tactical counterattack exploiting defensive errors and disciplined team performance
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Coach Appiah acknowledged Nigeria’s talented squad but stressed need for improved coaching for better future outcomes
Sudan head coach, Kwesi Appiah, has said Nigeria’s 2024 CHAN squad has talent but requires “better coaching” following his side’s emphatic 4-0 victory in Zanzibar.
The result knocked Eric Chelle’s Super Eagles B team out of the African Nations Championship after back-to-back group stage losses.
“I wasn’t expecting that scoreline,” Appiah admitted. “I knew we could beat Nigeria, but not by such a margin. The Nigerian team is not bad. They just need better coaching.”
The former Ghana coach explained that Sudan’s game plan was to withstand Nigeria’s early pressure in the first 20 minutes before launching a counterattack. “Our performance was much better than in our game against Congo,” he added.
Sudan capitalised on Nigeria’s defensive errors to take a 2-0 lead before halftime. Leonard Ngege scored an own goal and later conceded a penalty, which captain Walieldin Khidir converted.
In the second half, Mohamed Yagoub and Abdelrahman Khalifa added to the tally, leaving Nigeria rooted at the bottom of the group with zero points and a goal difference of minus five.
Appiah praised his players’ discipline throughout the match and hinted that Nigeria’s main issues may lie in coaching decisions rather than player quality.