Sudan Men’s National Team head coach Kwesi Appiah says he did not expect the huge scoreline recorded against Nigeria at the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN).
Sudan thrashed Nigeria 4-0 in their third group match on Tuesday evening to seal their place in the knockout stages of the tournament. The result ended Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the next round.
Speaking in a post-match interview, Appiah admitted he was stunned by his side’s display.
“I was surprised with the performance of some of my players. If you noticed, my changes came deep into the second half because everyone was playing really well,” he said.
“I wasn’t expecting the scoreline, but I knew if we play our best, we could defeat Nigeria. We knew it was going to be tough, especially the first 20 minutes. Our tactical play was to absorb pressure and hit them on the counter,” he added.
The former Ghana national team coach also praised Nigeria’s home-based squad.
“I think the home-based Super Eagles aren’t that bad. On the whole, tactically they played well. The coach only needs to do some polishing with the attack. The first game against Senegal wasn’t that bad; in the second game, they had stints of possession, but our approach helped us,” concluded Appiah.
Meanwhile, Sudan, already through to the knockout stages, will aim to finish top of the group when they face Senegal in their final match.
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