'A lot of frustration' - Rohr admits defeat to Super Eagles hurt Cheetahs' players and backroom staff

Benin coach Gernot Rohr has confessed that his players and backroom staff were deeply upset and disappointed following their crushing defeat to the Super Eagles in the final group match of the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.

Before the matchday ten fixtures, Benin had been the surprise leaders of Group C, ahead of South Africa's Bafana Bafana, who were docked three points for fielding an ineligible player Teboho Mokoena during their 2-0 victory over Lesotho in March.

The Cheetahs were just ninety minutes away from making history as a victory would have guaranteed them a maiden World Cup qualification, regardless of the outcome of the South Africa versus Rwanda encounter. 

However, Rohr's side succumbed to a 4-0 defeat against Nigeria, their heaviest loss under the German coach. 

Victor Osimhen was the chief tormentor, netting a superb hat-trick to seal Benin's fate.

Reflecting on the disappointment, Rohr admitted that the result was particularly painful, given how close his team had come to achieving their World Cup dream.

"It's true that the heavy defeat in Nigeria caused a lot of frustration within the staff and the dressing room, since we saw this World Cup very close," Rohr told Joueurs Beninois.

The German tactician also highlighted his side's defensive shortcomings as a major area for improvement going forward.

"The areas for improvement are mainly defensive discipline. There are still a lot of mistakes, as we saw against Nigeria."

With World Cup qualification hopes dashed, Rohr's attention now turns to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, where Benin have been drawn alongside Senegal, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Botswana.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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