What Cheetahs players Mounie, Aiyegun, Dossou said ahead of titanic battle against Super Eagles

Benin's Cheetahs edged closer to a maiden Fifa World Cup qualification following a 1-0 victory over Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali on Friday evening.

The result keeps them at the top of Group C ahead of the decisive final round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

With ten minutes remaining in regulation time, Nigerian-born forward Tosin Aiyegun, who was extensively scouted by Gernot Rohr during his time as Super Eagles coach, netted the decisive goal to secure all three points for the visitors.

Benin will now travel to Uyo to face Nigeria at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Tuesday, October 14.

The Cheetahs need only to avoid defeat to book their place at the World Cup, while even a draw could be enough if South Africa drop points against Rwanda in the other fixture.

Team captain Steve Mounie, alongside Aiyegun and Jodel Dossou shared their thoughts on the upcoming game against the Super Eagles.

Mounie said the players were fully motivated for what he described as a historic encounter.

"We play football for this kind of match. It will be a historic meeting. We will give everything to take Benin to the World Cup," Mounie was quoted as saying by Mega Sports.

Aiyegun acknowledged the difficulty of their next challenge but expressed excitement about the opportunity.

"It won’t be easy there, but that’s football. We dreamed of playing a great match. Now it's against Nigeria. We have to give it our all."

Jodel Dossou also spoke about the team's determination to finish the job.

"We have our destiny in our own hands. It will be an electric match, Nigeria's last chance. But we won't let ourselves be pushed around either.

"We'll do everything we can to get a positive result and keep dreaming."

Tuesday's clash carries added intrigue as Nigeria's only defeat in the qualifiers so far came against Benin on matchday four in June 2024.

Despite taking the lead through Raphael Onyedika, the Super Eagles capitulated late in the first half, conceding twice within eleven minutes.

Ifeanyi  Emmanuel

Photo Credit: febefoot.org

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