Chelle stands by the decision to include Chukwueze in the penalty shootout loss to Morocco

The coach of the Super Eagles maintains that Chukwueze was selected due to his training performance and statistics, even after missing a penalty in the AFCON semi-final against Morocco.

Eric Chelle, head coach of the Super Eagles, has justified his choice to introduce Samuel Chukwueze for the penalty shootout against Morocco.

On Wednesday, Nigeria was defeated 4-2 on penalties by Morocco, resulting in their failure to qualify for the final of the continental competition.

The match concluded without any goals after 120 minutes, and penalty misses from Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi determined Nigeria’s defeat in the shootouts.

Chukwueze was introduced late in extra time, and his sole impact on the match was the missed penalty. A number of Nigerians on social media have expressed their criticism of Chelle regarding the substitution.

During the post-match press conference, Chelle remarked that Chukwueze was among the top penalty takers in training, and his selection was grounded in “statistics.”

He mentioned that all the Eagles’ players who participated in the shootouts were the “best” kickers during practice.

“I selected Chukwueze for the penalty session because we practiced penalties in all our training sessions,” the coach stated.

“According to the statistics, the players who successfully kicked penalties excelled during the warm-ups; that’s why we have these individuals on the field.”

In November 2025, Nigeria lost its chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup due to penalty shootouts. The Eagles were defeated 4-3 on penalties by DR Congo in the final of the African playoffs for the World Cup.