Nigeria Coach: Moroccan Fans Play 'Bigger Role Than 12th Player', Wishes Morocco and Senegal Luck in Final

Nigeria coach Eric Chelle praised the role played by Moroccan fans in the current Africa Cup of Nations, wishing good luck to the "Atlas Lions" and Senegal in the AFCON final.

Speaking at the press conference ahead of the match against Egypt, Chelle stated: "I tried to take this team as far as possible, according to our plan. I tried to make the team play with my philosophy. That succeeded until the semi-finals, but in the semi-finals, we lacked many things technically, tactically, and physically."

He continued: "Now we will play against Egypt, and we must win this match because we cannot compete in a tournament with this quality and not at least secure third place. We will do everything possible to win this match because it is important to me. We have shown many things in this tournament, and this third-place finish will at least crown the effort and work we have put in. It will be a positive outcome."

Regarding the atmosphere of the final match and the Moroccan fans, he added: "The stadium is impressive. This crowd carries its team; we always say that the fans are the 12th player, but here they play a bigger role than just the 12th player. The players must unite and be focused on the match, and that is easy to say, but difficult to do."

He concluded: "I wish good luck to both teams (Morocco and Senegal). Both deserve to win this title. In any case, I am very proud of what they have achieved, and congratulations to the future winner of this AFCON."