Nigeria coach admits Uche's national team career would have been at risk if he missed penalty

Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has revealed his admiration for Christantus Uche's mentality and performance during Nigeria’s penalty shootout win over Jamaica, despite the player joining the squad just a day before the game.

Uche enjoyed a breakout season in La Liga with Getafe, catching the eye of Chelle, who is eager to assess the midfielder ahead of Nigeria's 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers in September.

The versatile midfielder was the last player to report for international duty in London due to visa complications, which delayed his arrival in the English capital.

After missing Nigeria's Unity Cup opener against Ghana, Uche made his senior debut off the bench in the showpiece versus Jamaica, coming off the bench to replace Rangers forward Cyriel Dessers.

The 22-year-old had a dream debut for the Super Eagles in their triumph over the Reggae Boyz, scoring the winning penalty in the shootout.

Chelle admitted that it was a bold decision to field Uche, who had only arrived in camp on the eve of the final against Jamaica, and trained once with the team.

"It was very difficult for Uche because he only arrived on Friday, and I still included him in the group," Chelle told Austin Okon Akpan. 

"It was a crazy decision because, under normal circumstances, he shouldn’t have played in that game.

"I don’t even know why I put him in the squad. But he wanted to play, and when he stepped onto the pitch, he brought something really important."

Revealing what impressed him about Uche and the risk involved in taking the last penalty kick, Chelle said: "He’s strong and fast. Just imagine — all that pressure, the final penalty. 

"If he had missed, who knows? Everyone is happy now that he scored, but if he hadn’t... maybe it would’ve affected his national team career.

"I’m proud of him because he came in with a smile and a lot of energy."

Uche was named in Nigeria's traveling squad to Moscow and is in contention to make his full debut in Friday's showdown with Russia.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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