Super Eagles coach, Eric Chelle says he introduced Samuel Chukwueze to be part of the penalty takers against Morocco because of the training data and performance statistics.
Nigeria lost in a penalty shootout to Morocco on Wednesday, failing to secure a place in the final.
The decision to feature the Fulham star in the shootout, instead of players like Victor Osimhen and Alex Iwobi, who have been stars of the tournament, was heavily criticised by Nigerian fans.
Speaking on his decision at his post-match press conference, the Malian national said that Chukwueze deserved to play the penalty because of his penalty record in training.
“I put Chukwueze for the penalty session because we did work in all training sessions for the penalties,” he said.
“With the statistics, the guys who kicked penalties were the best during the warm-ups; that is why we have these guys on the pitch.”
Chelle added that every Super Eagles player selected to take a penalty during the shootout ranked among the team’s most reliable takers in practice.
Recall that the Super Eagles lost 4-3 on penalties to DR Congo in the final of the African playoffs in November 2025, which denied them a place at the 2026 World Cup, a painful memory for the Nigerian fans.
