Nigeria fell to a disastrous 2-1 defeat to the Benin Republic inside the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan on Monday to leave their World Cup hopes hanging.
Raphael Onyedika broke the deadlock in the 28th minute for the Eagles but the Cheetahs struck back twice before the end of the half to seal a memorable victory over their West African neighbours.
Soccernet.ng‘s Imhons Erons looks at the key takeaways from the disappointing defeat.
Since Rohr was relieved of his duties in December 2021, the Super Eagles have failed to lift the AFCON twice and failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
Rohr, on Monday, led the Benin Republic to register their first senior win in international football over Nigeria. The German’s Cheetahs looked fitter, more organised, and more determined than Finidi’s Eagles.
Now, Benin is better placed to be at the next Mundial than Nigeria.
Rohr last qualified Nigeria for the World Cup in 2018. Augustine Eguavoen failed to replicate that success in 2022 and it appears that Finidi will not be able to match the German’s feat, either.
Nigeria would probably have won today’s match if Rohr had been in the Super Eagles’ dugout and not Benin’s.
Finidi appeared to learn no lesson from Nigeria’s loss against South Africa last week as he again set up an imbalanced team versus Benin.
The Super Eagles coach deployed three players in their unnatural positions.
Fenerbahce right-back Bright Osayi-Samuel was given the left-back role. Centre-back Benjamin Tanimu played as a right-back while left-back Calvin Bassey was deployed again as a centre-back.
It did not work against South Africa and it failed again against Benin. Finidi reverted to factory settings at the start of the second half by which time Benin had wrecked maximum damage.
For emphasis let me repeat, Calvin Bassey is not a centre-back!
That experiment of converting him from a left-back to a centre-back started at Rangers but it failed woefully at Ajax.
Marco Silva has stuck with it at Fulham but even Peseiro realized Bassey is not a centre-back and only played him there as one-third of a three-man centre-back system.
Finidi partnered Bassey with Semi Ajayi against South Africa and Benin and Nigeria conceded three goals in two games.
Bassey is an excellent left-back and not one of Nigeria’s best centre-backs. Olisa Ndah, Kenneth Omeruo, and even Tanimu would do a better job at the heart of the defence than Bassey.
And this is not even because of his mistake that led to Benin’s equaliser.
That was the first time Nigeria had ever conceded two goals in 17 games against Benin across 47 years, starting from a 7-0 triumph in February 1977.
In 14 previous games against the Beninoise, Nigeria boasted an incredible record of 12 wins and two draws. Even the CHAN Eagles didn’t ship two goals in two outings versus Benin.
Thanks to coach Finidi Geroge and his not-so-Super Eagles, a loss has been added to the Nigerian slate. Sadly, it comes during the World Cup qualifier and not an international friendly.
The Super Eagles have three points from four matches and are now four points adrift of Benin Republic, who climbed to the top of Group C after their incredible win in Abidjan.
Nigeria will remain fifth in the group and could slip to the basement of the pile, should Zimbabwe win their match.
It is Nigeria’s worst run ever during the qualifying campaign for the World Cup, with the Super Eagles now without a win in any of their last seven games in the series – recording six draws and one defeat.
That form is for a team not ready to compete with the best nations at the Mundial. Unless something dramatic happens in the following months, Nigerians should not expect to see the Eagles at the showpiece to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
NB: What are your takeaways from the match? Leave them in the comment section below.
This post was last modified on June 10, 2024 7:39 pm
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Since the country Nigeria as whole did not honest to themself,what do you think that will follow.Nothing less than failure both in economy and football.
Those who praise the appointment of Finidi as SE coach should bury themselves in shame. I am saddened and speechless. I can't imagine a team with some of the best players in the continent can perform so woeful. I swear, Nigerians will NEVER forgive the shame and embarrassment the current FA leadership brought to us. A country of 220 million people could not produce 11 patriotic players to make us happy.. Allah Ya Isa.
Actually, I am not disappointed at this result because I was not expecting anything different. Finidi and all the local coaches (exempt Amunike and Siasia) are bunch of uncooked coaches that are so technically poor that they cannot make any change that can technically affect match positively. Instead of them to go outside and develop themselves, they will not. They are so comfortable with the crumbs that the rotten NFA is giving the.
They are so fortunate that we are in a country where there is no accountability. if it were to be in other countries that are football crazy, how many of them would have been assassinated by the crazy football fans because of the ways they (NFA and Local Coaches) play with the intelligence of football lovers in my dear country?
When last did Nigeria qualified for U17,21,23 in Africa? And the BLIND and CLUELESS NFA cannot think straight to know that these bunch of unripe local coaches in Nigeria have absolutely nothing to offer.
CORRUPTION IN NFA WILL KILL FOOTBALL IN NIGERIA. unfortunately, that is the only thing that is remaining that units us together in Nigeria
God bless you my brother
Good evening everyone,I said it before that Finidi has nothing to this country,he manage to beat Ghana the other day to NFF that victory was the enough credential to appoint Finidi,when NFF wanted to settle for indigenous coach,how can they settled with Finidi,while Emmanuel Amunike is available,what has been the track record of Finidi,the same Genort Rorh that was sacked hsa put dry pepper in Nigeria l nose,what a pity,it is good like this so the coroption if NFF will show to the whole world.
Good evening everyone,I said it before that Finidi has nothing to this country,he manage to beat Ghana the other day to NFF that victory was the enough credential to appoint Finidi,when NFF wanted to settle for indigenous coach,how can they settled with Finidi,while Emmanuel Amunike is available,what has been the track record of Finidi,the same Genort Rorh that was sacked hsa put dry pepper in Nigeria l nose,what a pity,it is good like this so the coroption if NFF will show to the whole world.
Na God God go punish finidi George. Tanimu, Ismaila, Olawoyin, Ismaila don't have any business in that team. He is a mumu coach and he thinks he is still coaching enyimba. Sack Finidi now!!!!!!. Ndidi is a shadow of himself because onyeka would have done far better than him. We need a foreign coach because our indigenous coaches don't have anything to offer us. if we can hire a good foreign coach I believe we can still qualify for the world cup.
Good morning, its saddened my heart when I saw the result. it would be very difficult for nigeria to qualify in the group. with all the player we have, we can not beat benin. For me we need a better coach.
Good morning everyone, it's so graceful and shameful for the super Eagles to loss to common Benin Republic.
I watched the match yesterday I from what I saw the Finidi was clueless from the beginning playing players out of position,the team don't have any leadership on the pitch.
Ndidi don't have any leadership command in the team,on like our previous captains in the past.
In fact alot is wrong with this Finidi's Super Eagles.
I advised he should be sacked and replace with a foreign coach.
Good morning everyone, it's so graceful and shameful for the super Eagles to loss to common Benin Republic.
I watched the match yesterday I from what I saw the Finidi was clueless from the beginning playing players out of position,the team don't have any leadership on the pitch.
Ndidi don't have any leadership command in the team,on like our previous captains in the past.
In fact alot is wrong with this Finidi's Super Eagles.
I advised he should be sacked and replace with a foreign coach.
This is the wages of tribalism because what a man sow he will reap, is true that Finding worked with Peseiro but as assistant not full coach,so for me Amuneke would have been better based on experience but NFF has done what pleased them now this is the result, where is OMERUO, AINA? because I know they are not injured, NFF, you people should pursue the black goat while it is day before night fall
I once wrote against sacking ROHR in 2021 with his unfinished task finally Nigeria failed to quality for 2022 world cup under EGUAVON, PESEIRO finished second early this year and was sacked now, should FINIDI be fired or not? infact this NFF board is CONFUSED, our problem as NIGERIANS is selection because we have now world class players,so let us do the right thing at right time