Nigeria head coach, Eric Chelle, says his side lacked movement and power following their penalty shootout loss against Morocco.
The Super Eagles were edged out 4–2 on penalties by the Atlas Lions on Wednesday night at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in their semifinal clash after a tense contest ended goalless following extra time.
Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou proved decisive in the shootout, saving two spot-kicks to send the tournament hosts into the final.
Speaking after the match, Chelle praised his players’ resilience but expressed deep disappointment at the outcome.
“The match was never easy, but the players showed a strong mental response and fought for every ball,” Chelle said after the game.
“Losing on penalties is very painful. It’s difficult because we worked hard throughout the entire tournament, but that’s football. We must continue working.”
Chelle explained that Nigeria adopted an aggressive pressing approach to contain their opponents, noting that any lapse would have handed Morocco control of the game.
“We played this match with high pressing, because if you don’t press, you leave spaces and the situation becomes very complicated.”
However, the Nigerian coach acknowledged that his team fell short technically compared to their performances earlier in the competition.
“From a technical point of view, we were not at the same level as we showed in other matches. I don’t want to say the reason was fatigue, but the truth is that we lacked movement and power,” Chelle added.
The defeat ended Nigeria’s hopes of reaching a second consecutive AFCON final. The Super Eagles will now shift focus to the third-place playoff against Egypt in Casablanca on Saturday.
