Manager Eric Chelle has highlighted three Super Eagles players who stood out in their heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to hosts Morocco in the semifinals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on January 14.

Adopting a defensive approach against the formidable opponents, Nigeria delivered their worst attacking performance in the 2025 Afcon, registering just two shots across 120 minutes of play.

Veteran goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was the hero of the shootout, saving spot kicks from Bruno Onyemaechi and Samuel Chukwueze

With Alex Iwobi prevented from dictating play in midfield, Nigeria's key forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman were largely starved of service.

During Chelle's recent appearance on RMC Sport's After Foot, the moderator noted that Nigeria might have fallen behind were it not for Calvin Bassey’s exceptional performance at the heart of the defence.

Chelle immediately cut in, emphasising that fullbacks Bruno Onyemaechi and Bright Osayi-Samuel also impressed. 

"Calvin, you have the left-back Bruno Onyemaechi, who was having a great game. You have the right-back Bright, who was also impressive,” Chelle said.

"These players may have lost, but they gave everything. The question was whether I should stick to the original game plan or try to make changes and wait for them.

"But I wasn’t convinced that waiting would prevent us from conceding two or three goals.”

Reflecting on the intensity of the encounter, Chelle added: "The stadium was full of spectators, it was madness. I had never experienced a match like this before; it was incredible.

"I wasn’t convinced that holding back would spare us further suffering, so we tried to press. But if you look at the match, after fifteen minutes, we couldn’t press effectively.”

Bassey was named in the official Team of the Tournament, alongside his teammates Lookman and Osimhen.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel