Super Eagles B head coach, Daniel Ogunmodede, has credited early preparation as the key to his team’s qualification for the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN).
The team secured a 3-1 aggregate victory over Ghana’s Black Galaxies at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Saturday. Despite the team’s solid performance, Ogunmodede remains open to adding new players who can positively influence the squad ahead of the tournament.
Following a goalless draw in the first leg at the Accra Sports Stadium, the Eagles B needed a win to secure their spot in the tournament scheduled for February in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
They delivered an electrifying first half, scoring three goals within seven minutes. Remo Stars full-back Sodiq Ismail opened the scoring in the 19th minute, followed by strikes from Nduka Junior and Saviour Isaac in the 22nd and 26th minutes, respectively. Ghana managed a consolation goal in the 73rd minute through Stephen Amenkona.
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This victory marks Nigeria’s return to CHAN after missing the 2020 edition in Cameroon and the 2022 edition in Algeria. It is their first qualification since 2018.
Reacting to the triumph, Ogunmodede expressed joy in giving Nigerians a positive end to the year. He also attributed the success to the team’s early and meticulous preparation.
“I am so excited we were able to give the country something to be happy about,” Ogunmodede told reporters after the game. “The boys showed a lot of character in the game.
“We had early preparation for the qualifiers, we had three phases of bringing players to camp, and the last phase started about four weeks ago. We prepared at the fantastic facility at Remo Stars and that really helped our preparation and it was also key to this qualifier. I hope we can prepare this way for the chan proper.”
Looking ahead to the tournament, Ogunmodede emphasized the importance of evaluating the team’s strengths and weaknesses and hinted at the possibility of bringing in additional players.
“We will go back and access the video of the matches, identify our weaknesses, and try to wrap things up,” the Remo Stars gaffer added. “If we’re going to prepare for the CHAN proper, we’re going to have more players if there is a need to.
“If there is a need to bring in more players into camp, we will. The selection of players to camp will be based on performance. If you perform well in your club, you’ll be here. We will compensate hard work and dedication.”
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