The Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam is bracing for a high-stakes showdown as Congo take on Nigeria in their final Group D clash of the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024. For Congo, it is a fight to stay alive. For Nigeria, it is about salvaging pride in a tournament that has already slipped away.
Congo’s coach Barthelemy Ngatsono has been blunt about the challenge. His side have just a single point from two games, and only victory will keep their quarterfinal hopes alive. “There is no alternative to victory,” he insisted, underscoring the pressure that now rests on his players’ shoulders.
Across the dugout, Nigeria’s coach Eric Sekou Chelle has already conceded the campaign is lost—two defeats without scoring left the Super Eagles rooted to the bottom of the group. But for Chelle, this final match is not meaningless. “We want to end the competition with a victory,” he said. “We haven’t scored yet, and this is our chance to put things right.”
Nigeria’s struggles have been as much about circumstance as performance. The team lost eight key players to overseas transfers after the qualifiers—“that’s 80 percent of the squad gone,” Chelle lamented—forcing him to rebuild under impossible timelines. The result has been a disjointed side that conceded five unanswered goals in their first two games. But Chelle is determined to use this last opportunity as a teaching moment: “Football is about learning lessons. We must show resilience now.”
Congo, meanwhile, know the danger of underestimating a wounded opponent. Ngatsono has warned his squad to treat Nigeria as a side with nothing to lose—and therefore doubly dangerous. “They are like a wounded lion,” he said. “They will play with pride, so we must be sharper and stay focused.” Congo’s biggest concern is their lack of firepower, with just one goal scored so far, but Ngatsono remains hopeful that spirit and determination will tip the balance. Forward Gosim Duvan Elenga echoed the belief: “We are ready. We will fight until the last minute.”
On the Nigerian side, senior players like Junior Nduka are also rallying the group. “We need a win for the country,” he said. “The defeats hurt us, but we will not fold. We must bounce back.”
The final twist is that Congo’s fate may not rest entirely in their own hands. Their hopes also hinge on the outcome of Sudan’s clash with Senegal. But in Dar es Salaam, the message from both benches is clear: everything will be decided on the pitch. For Congo, survival is on the line. For Nigeria, redemption is at stake. What unites them is the certainty that this Group D finale will be fought until the very last whistle.
