Nigeria’s Super Eagles B team succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Senegal in their Group D opener at the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) co-hosted by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.
Eric Chelle’s assembly of home-based players fell to Christian Gomis’ second-half strike, handing Senegal maximum points at the Amani stadium in Zanzibar, Tanzania, on Tuesday.
CHAN is a continental tournament exclusively for footballers playing for clubs in their home countries.
Eight players of Remo Stars, the reigning champion of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), made the Eagles squad alongside an assortment of other reputable players in the domestic scene.
However, the abundance of local pedigrees was insufficient against the pragmatic Senegalese who are the defending champions of the competition.
The encounter was a very physical one, littered with nibbling fouls and dangerous tackles, and bereft of fluidity from both sides.
Senegal, however, created the first real opportunity, Serigne Koite’s snapshot towards the far corner going agonisingly wide with the goalkeeper scrambling.
They had a better opportunity to take the lead minutes later but captain, Baye Ciss, could not hit the target with his header at the back post.
Nigeria had three shots on goal, with one tame shot on target, and it remained goalless at halftime.
The home-based Super Eagles were more measured in the second half, stringing passes together and retaining possession, but it was the Teranga Lions who had the breakthrough on 75 minutes, capitalising on a defensive mistake for Gomis to slot into an unguarded net.
Senegal, who could have won by more late on, saw out the match to claim a victory that puts them at the top of the group with three points, while Nigeria are rock bottom.
Eric Chelle and his men will face Sudan in their second match on August 12.
