Republic of Benin national football team and former Super Eagles coach, Genort Rohr, has given reasons why defeated his former team, the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
According to Rohr, the Cheetahs as the Benin team are popularly called were better organized than the Eagles during the match. And as result the Nigerian team went on to lose the match 1-2 goals to the underdog Benin team.
The win is notwithstanding that the 2026 World Cup qualifier was not played in Benin, but at their adopted home in Abidjan on Monday.
The defeat by the Cheetahs means that Nigeria’s hopes of reviving their qualifying campaign is now in jeopardy.
This is even when when the Nigerian team took the early lead through a goal from Raphael Onyedika. But Nigerian hopes dimmed when the Benin team replied with two responsive goals from Jodel Dossou and Steve Mounie.
With the rare feat result, the Benin moved top of the group with seven points. The Eagles are languishing in fifth with just three points after four matches. This is even as the fear of missing a consecutive World Cup after 2022’s failure has enveloped the whole country.
However, during the post-match interview, Rohr described his team as better organized than his former side.
He said of his team, “These players always have solidarity. The belief is strong and they can score goals as well.
“I think we had the right organization. The Super Eagles scored the first goal and perhaps believed it was already done. But the reaction and the desire of my team was so strong that they could come back in the game.”
However, many football pundits are already expressing worries over the choice of Finidi George as Super Eagles Head Coach.
Recall that George was appointed in April by the Nigeria Football Federation in a controversial manner.
He has played to games with the Super Eagles and is yet to record a win.
However, the former Enyimba sweet merchant remains optimistic that the Eagles will bounce back.
The Super Eagles will be back in action for two more games in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers by March 2025. That is when they will visit Rwanda on March 17 and host Zimbabwe on March 25. The outcome of the two remaining matches will determine the fate of Nigerians participation in the World Cup tournament in 2026.
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