‘The crowd was too big for him’ - Super Falcon legend defends Chukwueze after his penalty miss against Morocco

The semi-final encounter at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat saw the Atlas Lions triumph in a penalty shootout against a determined Nigerian team. 

Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi were the two players who failed to score from the spot for the Super Eagles.

Chukwueze was brought on as a substitute in the first minute of extra-time stoppage, replacing Frank Onyeka specifically to participate in the shootout.

Super Falcons legend Akide emphasized the immense pressure of taking a penalty and called for understanding for Chukwueze.

Speaking on the ATHLST podcast, Akide shared her observations: "Before he took the kick, I saw him. He is a jokester, maybe because of his age. 

“In that kind of situation, even though he’s been taking penalties in practice and feels he can take one, the crowd was too big for him, and you could already see it on him when he was about to take the penalty."

"Penalty takers don’t just walk like that, shift to one side, and simply pass the ball," she added. "But I’m going to say it’s nerve-wracking to take a penalty. Everybody thinks you can just kick it in; it’s not as easy as that."

"They should not blame him. This is how the game should have played out; one team will always win. We should not crucify him; we should leave him alone. He’s not the only one who missed; the defender Bruno also missed," she urged.

"You could see it from his body movement while he was walking. I told my husband, Colin, I was scared. He showed the goalkeeper where his penalty was going. He could have put it on the opposite side. When he went for the final contact, he didn’t put his head up."

"It was not an easy ball to save, but the goalkeeper was as good as our own goalkeeper," Akide concluded. "They shouldn’t discourage him; he’s a young guy."

In Nigeria's subsequent third-place playoff victory over Egypt, which also went to a shootout, Chukwueze was substituted in the 90th minute for Chidera Ejuke and did not take a penalty.