Captain of the home-based Super Eagles, Junior Nduka, has expressed the team’s strong desire to replicate the recent successes of the Super Falcons and D’Tigress by winning the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) title.
Both women’s teams have brought glory to Nigeria on the continental stage in recent weeks.
Recent Nigerian Female Team Victories Set the Pace
Last month, the Super Falcons secured their 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title in Morocco under the guidance of Justine Madugu. Similarly, the D’Tigress extended their dominance by claiming a fifth straight Women’s AfroBasket title on Sunday in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Riding on this wave of national success, the Home Eagles are looking to add another continental trophy to Nigeria’s cabinet as they begin their CHAN journey tonight against defending champions Senegal at the Amman Stadium in Zanzibar.
Nduka: We Want to Consolidate Nigeria’s Winning Streak
In his pre-match comments, Nduka, who plays for Remo Stars, said the players are motivated to build on the achievements of their female counterparts.
“Our female team has just won the WAFCON, and our women’s team just won the basketball title. It’s a good record for the country and we hope to consolidate on that,”
he told reporters.The highly anticipated opener against Senegal will kick off at 6 p.m. Nigerian time.
Chelle Issues Tactical Warning Ahead of Opener
Super Eagles manager, Eric Chelle, has urged his squad to remain focused and not underestimate Senegal, emphasizing the strength and tradition of the West African rivals.
“I don’t think it is a derby but this is a game between two big countries in Africa,
They have a history in football. Senegal have a good generation and a good team.
So our preparation for this game has been good and we’ll look to implement everything we have prepared into this match,”
Chelle stated during his pre-match press conference.Nigeria and Senegal are both in Group D, and this opening clash is expected to be one of the toughest fixtures of the group.
Senegal’s Diallo Eyes Group Qualification First
On the other side, Senegal head coach Souleymane Diallo has taken a modest tone ahead of their title defence, indicating that qualifying from the group is their immediate focus.
“We are not here to defend the trophy in our keeping, we came to try to win another trophy,
but for that we have to set the first objective which is qualifying from the group,”
Diallo told journalists on Monday.Despite facing difficulties during their build-up friendlies, Senegal remains a strong contender in the tournament.
Group D Showdown Continues with Sudan vs Congo Brazzaville
Following Nigeria’s clash with Senegal, Sudan and Congo Brazzaville will square off in the second Group D fixture. All eyes will be on this group to see which teams will take early steps toward qualification.