Chelle reveals key mistakes that doomed Algeria against Super Eagles at AFCON 2025

Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle has offered fresh insight into the tactical battle that shaped the Super Eagles’ 2–0 victory over Algeria at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Afrik-Foot reports.

The Franco-Malian coach pointed to crucial decisions by Fennecs boss Vladimir Petkovic that, in his view, swung the contest in Nigeria’s favour.

Both teams arrived at the quarter-final in formidable form. Algeria had gone five matches unbeaten, recording four wins and a draw. Nigeria had swept aside all five of their opponents and emerged as the competition’s leading scorers with 14 goals, a run that had already made them one of the tournament’s most feared sides.

Nigeria beat Algeria and qualify to the AFCON semi finals! 🦅🇳🇬

Who’s been your Man of the Match? pic.twitter.com/DhKfck9QNR

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 10, 2026

Chelle admitted he felt quietly confident even before kick-off, especially after studying the Algerian starting line-up.

“When I saw the starting eleven, I thought it was going in our favour,” he told RMC Sports.

The Nigerian coach had deliberately set his team up to play with relentless intensity, aiming to disrupt Algeria’s rhythm and deny their technically gifted midfielders time on the ball.

Algeria’s errors, Super Eagles’ gain

One decision Chelle believes proved particularly damaging for Algeria was leaving striker Baghdad Bounedjah out of the starting XI. The Super Eagles boss argued that the striker’s physical presence could have offered Algeria a vital outlet under pressure.

“The Algerian player is very technical, he likes to play with the ball. If you let him express himself, you suffer. I made the choice of total intensity,” explains Chelle.

“Without a player capable of holding the ball with his back to goal, it’s much easier to suffocate a team.”

Chelle was also surprised by the lack of tactical response as Nigeria tightened their grip on the match after the interval.

“I was expecting changes at half-time. In the end, nothing happened, and that made us even more confident,” he revealed.

He added that he had anticipated other adjustments, including the possible introduction of Marseille’s Himad Abdelli to disrupt Nigeria’s attacking flow, but none arrived. This, Chelle believes, allowed the Super Eagles to continue executing their pressing game plan with growing authority.

Nigeria’s impressive AFCON run eventually came to an end in the semi-finals, where tournament hosts Morocco edged past them on penalties following a goalless draw.

However, the Super Eagles finished the competition on a high, defeating Egypt in another shootout in the third-place play-off to secure the bronze medal.