Chelle calls for Nigeria to do more against Tunisia

Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle insists they cannot afford to make the same mistakes against Tunisia in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations clash at the Fez Stadium on Saturday, 27 December.

Kick-off is at 10pm CAT (SA, GMT+2).

Current form:

The Super Eagles kicked off their Group C campaign with a 2-1 victory over Tanzania at the same venue on 23 December courtesy of goals in each half from Semi Ajayi (36') and Ademola Lookman (52').

However, Chelle's side allowed the Taifa Stars a foothold in the game after getting off to a slow start in the second half which led to Charles M'Mombwa briefly equalising in the 50th minute.

The AFCON 2023 losing finalists also missed numerous chances in the first half before Ajayi opened the scoring and Chelle has called for an improvement in the final third against the Eagles of Carthage.

Nigeria went unbeaten in their opening three matches at the previous tournament before losing to hosts Ivory Coast in the final and Chelle wants to see that same consistency from his players in Morocco.

Tunisia made a much better start on this occasion after comfortably beating Uganda 3-1 on 23 December, having failed to win any of their three group games in the 2023 edition.

Ellyes Skhiri broke the deadlock after just 10 minutes in Rabat before a brace from Elias Achouri (40', 64') sealed the win for Sami Trabelsi's side, although the Cranes managed to score a late consolation goal through Denis Omedi (90+2').

The two former champions last met on Africa's biggest stage three years ago when the Eagles of Carthage ran out narrow 1-0 victors in the round of 16 before being eliminated by Burkina Faso (1-0) in the quarterfinals.

What was said:

Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle

"At this level, small details decide games. We played well, but we must reduce our mistakes, especially against stronger opponents.

"AFCON is about consistency. We will analyse this game carefully and make the necessary corrections before the next match.

"We are satisfied with the three points. That is the most important. For now, I want to focus on the positives.

"The second part of the game clearly shows there is still work to be done, especially in killing the game. We are aware of this, and we will work on it."

Players to watch:

Nigeria - Victor Osimhen wasn't at his best against Tanzania and is one of the players Chelle alluded to in not killing off the game after he had seven shots at goal, the most of any player on the pitch. The 26-year-old striker's best chance saw him latch onto a pass from Alex Iwobi before poking the ball past the goalkeeper on 32 minutes, but the defender made a last-ditch goalline clearance.

Tunisia - Elias Achouri played a starring role against Uganda and was clinical in front of goal after scoring with his only two shots attempted. The 26-year-old winger, who didn't feature at all during the qualifiers, had 59 touches on the ball - the highest of any player further up the pitch - and also made the joint-most successful dribbles (3/4).

Head-to-Head: (Last Five Matches)

Matches - 5

Nigeria wins - 1

Tunisia wins - 1

Draws - 3