'People were shouting Osimhen' - Rohr on playing in Abidjan, what he expects from Zimbabwe in Uyo

Coach Gernot Rohr has insisted that Zimbabwe stand no chance of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup following a 2-2 draw with Benin's Cheetahs on Thursday evening. 

Zimbabwe came from two goals down to secure a draw against Benin, with Marshall Munetsi and Knowledge Musona's goals cancelling out first half strikes from Steve Mounié and Dokou Dodo.

For twenty-four hours, the Cheetahs sat atop Group C with eight points midway through the qualifiers, only to be surpassed by South Africa following their 2-0 win against Lesotho.

Though Zimbabwe are seven points adrift of South Africa, Rohr expects them to battle fiercely against the Super Eagles in Uyo on Tuesday evening.

Rohr admitted his team, Benin had the upper hand in the first half but allowed Zimbabwe to fight back in the second.

“The 2-2 draw is okay. In the first half we were the better team but they dominated in the second half, 2-2 is always one point,” Gernot Rohr stated at the post-match press conference. 

"We knew that it was the last chance for Zimbabwe to qualify for the World Cup. Now, with three points it is finished.

"But they are fighting very well and I know with this coach and his staff, they will do the same in Uyo and the same against Rwanda and Lesotho."

Benin are forced to play their home games in a neutral venue after the Confederation of African Football ruled that their stadiums are substandard.

The Benin Football Federation adopted the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan as their home ground for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. 

Rohr opened up about the challenge of playing home matches in Abidjan, where the atmosphere often feels anything but home advantage.

"We never lost in Abidjan, but when you see the last game against Nigeria where we played a 1-1 draw, there were more people from Nigeria than Benin in the stadium," Rohr admitted.

He highlighted how Nigerian fans dominated the stands in Abidjan, making their presence impossible to ignore.

"Behind each goal, people were shouting 'Osimhen, Osimhen, Osimhen’ — it was like playing an away game for us. We were not really at home

"But my team is able to manage the situation and I hope that next Tuesday will be the same".

After a successful match against Rwanda, the Super Eagles landed in Uyo on Saturday  to begin preparations for their next game against Zimbabwe's Warriors.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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