CHAN 2016: Super Eagles didn't play well in first half; Oliseh admits

Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh has claimed that his team’s
first half shaky performance was as a result of the fact that
tmost of his players were playing on the international scene
for the first time.

The Super Eagles were held to a goalless draw by the Menas
in the first half but things changed in the second half with
Osas Okoro breaking the deadlock as Chisom Chikatara
scored thrice in Nigeria’s 4-1 win.

“In the first half we were very poor. We didn't do things right
and failed to play to our strength. We had a gameplan which
we did not follow and it reflected in our overall performance
on the pitch,” Oliseh was quoted by CompleteSports.

“To be fair on the players, it was the first big tournament
some of them will be participating in and it affected their
performance in the first 45 minutes.

“But I think towards the end of the first half, I mean the last
15 minutes, we improved a little bit and continued from
there after the break.”

Coach Sunday Oliseh also congratulated his super substitute
Chisom Chikatara who came off the bench to score three
goals in the second half. He praised the positive spirit of the
players in ensuring they got their first win in the first game.

“We are happy for him. He is a good lad who has a bright
future ahead of him. We hope he keeps improving and score
more goals in the competition,” he continued.

“The other substitutes (Kalu Orji and Usman Mohammed)
did well too. All the players were determined to start the
competition on a positive note and I want to congratulate
them for the victory.

Oliseh dismissed claims that his men are favourites to lift
the CHAN trophy after their victory against Niger admitting
the team has hurdles to overcome on their way to CHAN
success.

"At the moment, it won't be right for me to say we are going
to lift the trophy just after one game. We still have a long
way to go and we take it one game at a time.

“Right now, I don't want to talk about that. What is
important now is for us to savour this victory and rest a little
bit, then we can start thinking about the next game,” he
concluded.

Nigeria continue their CHAN campaign on Friday with a
game against Carthage Eagles of Tunisia at the Stade
Regional, Kigali.