Niger coach Doula laments early CHAN exit

Niger coach Harouna Doula could not hide his disappointment after seeing Mena eliminated from Total African Nations Championship (CHAN) at the group stage of the tournament in Cameroon.

The West African crashed out of the competition, designed exclusively for home-based players, on Monday when they were defeated 2-1 by DR Congo.

The Leopards, who have been ravaged by Covid-19 outbreak in their camp, reached the last eight of the tournament on Monday thanks to a fortuitous 2-1 victory over a gallant Niger side.

A 90th minute howler by Niger goalkeeper Abdoul Razak Halidou allowed the Leopards to win the match in the last minute and end the Mena hopes of advancing.

With the score at 1-1 Niger were hoping to win to qualify for the knock-out stage of the tournament until Halidou’s attempt to clear a back pass ended as a gift to Leopards striker Masasi Obenza who gratefully tapped in for the winner.

The Congolese played with an under-strength side in their match against Niger after 12 players tested positive for coronavirus which affected their preparation.

The Leopards coach coach Florent Ibenge was also ruled out of the match as he also contracting the deadly virus.

Coach Doula believes winning the match against the two-time champions would have been a big consolation for his who played well in Monday’s game in Yaounde.

“Beating DR Congo would have been an achievement for us. I congratulate the Leopards on their qualification,” Doula said in the post-match press conference on Monday night.

“I wish a speedy recovery to the head coach of DR Congo. We came very close to qualifying to the quarter-finals.”

The victory for DR Congo means they finish top of the group with seven points, Congo take the second position with four points while Libya and Niger are tied at the bottom of the group with two points apiece.