By OLAYINKA OWOLEWA

Super Eagles Coach, Eric Chelle, has expressed a mix of optimism and concern after the 2025 Unity Cup final.

While acknowledging the positives from the tournament, Chelle emphasised that Nigeria must significantly improve to secure a spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals in the USA.

“This game today with the two mistakes, we need to improve, we need to step up in our group, in our team.

“To go to the World Cup, we need to step up, I can say my players have a good spirit, a good state of mind, I’m happy about that.

“We need to work and think about my game project, I think my players were focused on the game, at the end, we deserve to win the tournament” Chelle said.

Chelle described the Unity Cup as his first trophy as a coach in spite of winning several as a player.

He expressed hope that Saturday’s victory would mark the beginning of a trophy-laden era for Nigeria. (NAN)