Super Eagles boss Eric Chelle unhappy with Femi Azeez despite dream debut

Nigeria manager Eric Chelle offered a surprisingly critical assessment of Femi Azeez despite the winger's historic performance against Zimbabwe on Tuesday night.

The Millwall attacker enjoyed a record-breaking debut at The Valley, scoring a decisive brace to secure a 2-0 victory and propel the Super Eagles into the Unity Cup grand finale.

Azeez firmly etched his name into the annals of Nigerian football history by becoming the first debutant in 55 years to score a brace for the national team, a feat last accomplished by Mathias Obianika in 1971.

Operating as a second-striker, the 24-year-old opened his account in the fifth minute before converting a Terem Moffi pass in the second half.

However, Chelle refused to let the double overshadow his tactical requirements, pointing out technical deficiencies in the winger's game.

"Technically, he lost a lot of balls, so I’m not happy," Chelle told reporters during his post-match press conference. "He got many balls back but sometimes he didn’t get the balls, so I’m not happy."

The head coach explained that his primary objective was to sustain a relentless, high-intensity press for the entire match, an operational standard the team failed to maintain over 90 minutes.

Despite the criticism, Chelle extended congratulations to Azeez for becoming the 62nd player in history to score on his Nigerian bow.

The Malian tactician stated that he will review the performance before naming his final squad for the upcoming June fixtures against Poland and Portugal. "If I wake up with a good state of mind, and I want him in the team... I'll say yes, but if I don't want I will say no," Chelle concluded.