By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
As Nigerians continue to agonise over Super Eagles 2-1 defeat by Cheetahs of Benin Republic in Match Day 4 of the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup African qualifiers played on Monday at Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire, more facts have emerged why Nigeria lost the encounter which has condemned her to the fifth place on the log in the six-team Group C.
Super Eagles’ midfielder Raphael Onyedika had put Nigeria in front early in the match but Benin Republic star Jordel Dossou levelled scores for his country nine minutes after while veteran forward Steve Mounie scored the winning goal late in the first half.
Efforts by the Nigerian team led by coach George Finidi to equalise the match or win it in the second half evaporated like the morning dews as the Beniniose dug in and grounded out a 2-1 victory over their more illustrious opponents, a victory they celebrated as though they won the World Cup by Benin Republic players carrying shoulder high their Franco-German coach Gernot Rohr around the stadium amidst jubilation.
Prompt News have now learned that Rohr prepared his Benin Republic team well against the three-time African champions that is brimming with individual talents playing their club football in some of the big clubs in Europe even as he has a firsthand knowledge of how the Super Eagles play.
According to a Nigerian football manager who pleaded anonymity, Rohr has full knowledge of how the Nigerian team plays and can easily set up his team to defeat the Super Eagles no matter where the match is played.
“Gernot Rohr has the “pin number” of Super Eagles and can always beat them in any competitive match. Remember, the 70 year-old coach spent the best part of five years at the helm of the Super Eagles, between 2016 and 2021, taking them to the 2018 FIFA World Cup before reaching the AFCON semifinals in 2019 before the NFF sacked him. Trust, he will be nursing revenge against Nigeria and he has gotten it in Abidjan”, our source declared.
Thus, Rohr prepared his team very well and also perfected the formation and strategy with the players at the training ground and later translated it into victory on match day in Abidjan.
This is even as Rohr in his post-match presser in Abidjan on Monday claimed coach Finidi’s boys relented after scoring the opening goal against his team on the day, boasting that “we had the right organization, Nigeria scored the first goal, perhaps, they believed it was already done”.
Speaking further he said: “But the reaction, the desire of my team was so strong that they could come back to win the match.”
The German tactician added: “It was a great game for us, this was the first time our ‘A’ team will beat the Super Eagles.”
Thanks to the historic win, Benin Republic is currently topping the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers Group C with 7 points in four games, four above 5th placed Super Eagles.
It goes without saying that Rohr’s coaching philosophy revolves around maintaining defensive solidity through structured ball circulation and keeping the ball but orchestrating it with purposeful intent, with the potential for incisive attacking play to catch opponents on the counter.
His team is known not to score so many goals but also not conceeding alot as was observed throughout his nearly six years stint with Nigeria which culminated in qualifying for continental and global competitions with a game to spare.
Before Rohr became Super Eagles manager, the team failed to qualify for the 2015 and 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. The Franco-German however qualified for the 2019 AFCON in Egypt with a game to spare after playing a 1-1 draw against South Africa away from home.
The Eagles also qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia with a game to spare. For many fans, Rohr erased the era of permutations and using calculators to know if the Eagles would be in major tournaments or not by qualifying early.
He recorded 28 wins in 54 games and losing 13 with 13 draws just as he did not lose an away World Cup and AFCON qualifier match when he was incharge of the Super Eagles.
But he was accused of not playing attractive football as many believe he was not giving the fans what the Eagles are known for, which is attractive football, though he was able to lead the Eagles to win games.
However, coach Finidi did not have a discerning formation and tactics for the crucial World Cup encounter against Benin Republic in Abidjan, no wonder Rohr outfoxed him on the day and despite Nigeria scoring first, the Cheetahs prevailed at last.
It was observed that Super Eagles were set up wrongly as players were played out of positions, a situation which made them to bump on each other in the defence, midfield and attack with the mix-up resulting in the two goals Nigeria conceded against Benin Republic.
Sadly, Nigeria’s gaffer had before the two 2026 FIFA World Cup African qualifiers games against South Africa in Uyo last week and Benin Republic in Abidjan on Monday told the public that team formation is not important in a team as long as “players can interpret when to attack and when to defend”.
Upon his appointment as new Super Eagles head coach, Finidi undertook a tour of the media houses to familiarise himself with the media before settling down into the enormous task ahead of him with the national team but in an interview on a radio station, Brila FM, declared he will prioritise a winning mentality and player understanding over rigid formations.
Said he: “My philosophy is to win. For me, formation is not that important, because if players interpret when to attack and when to defend and do it well, there won’t be problems.”
However, Finidi’s philosophy which only him understands has not worked well for the Super Eagles especially in the two 2026 World Cup qualifiers played under his watch just as it did not also work in the 0-2 loss to Mali in international friendly match earlier in the year. Although he led Nigeria to beat Ghana earlier on. READ ALSO:
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Indeed, the recent poor results against South Africa in Uyo and Benin Republic in Abidjan still hurts Nigerians and they are now doubting if Finidi is the right man for the Super Eagles job or the best indigenous
coach in terms of coaching style, philosophy, national team experience, achievements, players development and requisite credentials.
With Nigeria’s precarious position in the World Cup qualifiers both Finidi and his employers (NFF) have alot of explanations to make to over 230 million Nigerians on how their team will qualify for the FIFA World Cup final in United States, Mexico and Canada in June 2026.
