{"id":53495,"date":"2025-03-20T20:57:07","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T20:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/super-eagles-upbeat-ahead-of-crucial-world-cup-qualifier-against-rwanda\/"},"modified":"2025-03-20T20:56:59","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T20:56:59","slug":"super-eagles-upbeat-ahead-of-crucial-world-cup-qualifier-against-rwanda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/super-eagles-upbeat-ahead-of-crucial-world-cup-qualifier-against-rwanda\/","title":{"rendered":"Super Eagles upbeat ahead of crucial World Cup qualifier against Rwanda"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Chelle emphasized the importance of staying focused and executing their game plan. \u201cThe camp has been good, and we need to be focused on our game and our project. Rwanda has a great team with a new coach, and they will be eager to win, but so are we. After our final training session, we will be ready for this match,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>As the first non-Nigerian African coach to lead the Super Eagles, he dismissed any added personal motivation and instead highlighted his commitment to the team.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just want to be with my players every day, working with them, focusing on this game. The Nigerian people are waiting for a win, and we will do everything to deliver,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Captain William Troost-Ekong echoed his coach\u2019s sentiments, underlining the significance of the encounter. \u201cWe are here for one job. Everybody knows how important this game is for us. We want to win, we need to win. Rwanda is a strong team, and we respect them, but I have big confidence in our squad,\u201d Ekong said.<\/p>\n<p>He added that the new coach has brought fresh ideas, and understanding the tactics will be key for them. \u201cWe have one more training session, but ultimately, our mission is clear: to win the game,\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n<p>Rwanda\u2019s captain had previously expressed confidence in his team\u2019s ability to contain Nigeria\u2019s attacking force, stating that they had done it before and were well-prepared.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-83963 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/pic_1-254.jpg\" alt=\"The Super Eagles upbeat ahead of crucial World Cup qualifier against Rwanda\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>In response, Chelle acknowledged the challenge but exuded confidence in his own players. \u201cWe have one of the best attacking lineups in the world, not just in Africa. Every team is difficult to play against, especially away from home, and we respect Rwanda. But if they believe they can handle us, then we\u2019ll see tomorrow on the pitch,\u201d he asserted.<\/p>\n<p>He explained that with the new manager, the players will want to prove themselves, with a renewed level of focus but admitted that this first game will be a test.<\/p>\n<p>Despite recent criticism from fans following a disappointing result in the last match, Troost-Ekong insisted that the team is unfazed by external pressure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlaying for Nigeria means dealing with 300 million critics and 300 million supporters. We use that as motivation. This pressure is a privilege. Whenever I wear this badge, it means everything to me. The only pressure we feel is from within, because we want to prove that we deserve to be at the World Cup,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>With both teams eager to secure three points, the stage is set for a high-stakes showdown at Amahoro stadium tomorrow Friday March 21, 2024. The Super Eagles are determined to rise to the occasion, knowing that victory will be a significant step towards World Cup qualification.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-83960 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/pic_5-79.jpg\" alt=\"Victor Osimhen is charged with leading his country to victory against the Amavubi starts of Friday, March 21, 2025.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-83964 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/pic_3-141.jpg\" alt=\"Nigeri\u2019s Caoch, Eric Chelle and Captain, William Troost-Ekong at the pre match press conference.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-83962 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/pic_2-178.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-83961 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/pic-82.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As Nigeria prepares to take on Rwanda in a crucial World Cup qualifier tomorrow, the mood in the Super Eagles camp is one of focus, determination, and confidence.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking at a pre-match press conference on Thursday March 20, 2025, head coach Eric Chelle made it clear that the team is ready for the battle ahead, acknowledging Rwanda\u2019s strengths while reaffirming their own ambitions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":135,"featured_media":2000083958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[75],"byline":[3135],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-53495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-homenews","byline-sam-k-nkurunziza-2"],"bylines":[{"id":3135,"name":"Sam K Nkurunziza","slug":"sam-k-nkurunziza-2","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":null}],"contributors":[{"id":3135,"name":"Sam K Nkurunziza","slug":"sam-k-nkurunziza-2","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":null}],"featured_image":{"id":2000083958,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-463.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-463.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-463.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-463.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-463.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/profile-463.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/135"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53495"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53495\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000083958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53495"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=53495"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=53495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}