Nigeria’s home-based Super Eagles will be back in action today, Tuesday 12th August when they take on Sudan in their second group stage match at the ongoing 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Eric Chelle’s side began their campaign with a narrow 1-0 defeat to defending champions Senegal last week. The match remained evenly poised until the 75th minute, when Moctar Koïté’s surging run down the right flank ended with a low cross that Christian Gomis calmly converted to seal all three points for the Teranga Lions.
Finalists in 2018, Nigeria now face a must-win encounter at the 15,000-capacity Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive.
“It’s a big game, it is an important game. We need to win, and after that, we will see,” Chelle said ahead of the tie, calling on his players to sharpen their attack after struggling to trouble Senegal’s defence in their opener.
Team captain Nduka Junior believes the squad’s resilience will be key against Sudan. The skipper pointed to Nigeria’s recent Unity Cup triumph as proof they can bounce back from setbacks, including the 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe in Uyo that dented their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.
“The match against Zimbabwe was just a setback, not a disaster. After that, we went to the Unity Cup to prove a point, and we came out as champions,” Nduka said. “We are working on every mistake we have made in the past and making sure we do things right.”
Sudan, who were held to a late 1-1 draw by Congo in their first outing, will also be pushing for all three points to keep their qualification hopes alive. Musa Hussein, their only scorer in the tournament so far, will once again be their main attacking threat.
Meanwhile the defending champions Senegal will seek to advance to the next round with a win against Congo in the second game of group D.