AFCON 2025: Chelle Plans to Beat Algeria, Urges Hard Work

Super Eagles head coach Eric Sekou Chelle has already begun planning how to overcome Algeria ahead of Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final clash, insisting that his players must elevate their focus and effort after a convincing 4–0 win over Mozambique.

Speaking after the Round of 16 victory in Fès, Morocco, Chelle praised his squad’s performance but warned that challenges lie ahead and more work is required. He highlighted that attention has now fully shifted to preparations for the quarter-final encounter a fixture that demands maximum intensity, discipline and tactical awareness against a formidable Algerian side.

Chelle emphasised the need to maintain concentration, raise aggression levels and build on the positive momentum from the win over Mozambique, cautioning that success in knockout stages comes only through continued hard work in training and tactical execution.

Editorial

In the arc of tournament football, victories are rarely destinations; they are waypoints. This truth was articulated with clarity by Eric Sekou Chelle after Nigeria’s commanding 4–0 win against Mozambique a result that, by any measure, was decisive yet insufficient on its own. Chelle’s swift pivot to planning for Algeria reflects not merely strategic acumen, but an understanding that the deeper a team progresses, the narrower the margin for error becomes.

Algeria, a side with continental pedigree and tactical shrewdness, are no incidental obstacle. They are a cohort that blends European-trained discipline with North African ingenuity, coached by Vladimir Petković, who has spoken openly about the mental, technical and aggressive demands his team will bring to the quarter-final showdown. This is the kind of opponent that tests more than a team’s skill it tests its identity and resolve.

Chelle’s message was unambiguous celebration is ephemeral, preparation is perpetual. In a tournament of attrition, he is acutely aware that “momentum” is not simply a mood, but a product of meticulous planning and collective discipline. The challenge of quarter-final football, particularly against an Algeria outfit buoyed by a dramatic late victory over DR Congo, is not a call to merely replicate past displays it’s a summons to elevate them.

What distinguishes this Super Eagles side is its blend of individual brilliance and emerging tactical cohesion. Yet brilliance alone will not suffice against a tactician like Petković or the collective experience Algeria bring. Chelle’s insistence on hard work, focus and training intensity is less a platitude than a strategic imperative one rooted in the knowledge that knockout football demands not only physical readiness but psychological equilibrium.

In the stoic reflection that follows Nigeria’s emphatic win, there lies a deeper narrative: ambition tempered by realism. Chelle’s philosophy, at its core, is a testament to purposeful progression a reminder that in football’s grander theatre, the next act always begins before the final curtain falls.

Did You Know?

1. Algeria reached the AFCON quarter-finals by beating DR Congo 1-0 in extra time, with Adil Boulbina scoring the late winner to set up the clash with Nigeria.
2. Nigeria’s 4–0 win over Mozambique was their largest margin of victory so far in AFCON 2025, and included the team’s first clean sheet of the tournament.
3. Victor Osimhen scored his 50th international cap for Nigeria during the Round of 16 win, marking a significant milestone in his Super Eagles career.
4. Algeria’s coach Vladimir Petković emphasised preparation both mentally and technically, highlighting the competitive mindset his side intends to bring to the quarter-finals.
5. Chelle previously led Mali to the quarter-finals of AFCON 2023, providing him with experience in navigating later stages of the tournament.