The Super Eagles of Nigeria will welcome Benin to Uyo on Tuesday, in a game that could decide where Group C of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers will swing…
Benin coach Gernot Rohr has admitted that knowing that they have their fates in their hands will be an added advantage for his team going into the final game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Nigeria on Tuesday, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Squirrels maintained their grip at the summit of Group C with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Rwanda on Friday.
They moved two points clear of South Africa, who played a goalless draw against Zimbabwe and maintained the three-point gap between them and Nigeria, who earned a nervy 2-1 victory against Lesotho.
The situation in Group C is now clear, as any sort of victory for Benin against Nigeria when both teams face in Uyo next Tuesday, will seal a World Cup ticket for the Squirrels.
But for the Super Eagles, they still need favours from elsewhere. To seal the World Cup ticket without any doubt, they need to beat Benin with a two-goal margin and hope that South Africa drop points against Rwanda.
Although Nigeria are better than Benin on paper, they have repeatedly shown that whatever quality they have is only on paper, as it hardly ever translates to the quality of football they produce on the pitch.
Hence, the game against Rohr's Squirrels is sure to be a tough encounter. Moreover, Benin defeated Nigeria in the reverse fixture in this series.
Ahead of the game, Rohr, who coached Nigeria for five years before taking up the Benin job, has expressed his confidence in his team's chances.
“We still have to do something great in Uyo. We have lost two players for the match against Nigeria as a result of a second yellow card. But all is possible for the three teams SouthAfrica, Benin and Nigeria,” Rohr told Osasu Obayiuwana.
“We now have the decision to win in Uyo in our hands. This can be a little advantage. But we will see.
Can The Super Eagles Defeat Gernot Rohr's Benin?
There was a time that Benin used to be just any ordinary team that the Super Eagles would roll over. But that is no longer the case, as they have proven to be really tough customers recently.
They already defeated Nigeria in this series, a game that was even played at a neutral venue.
On paper, they don't touch Nigeriq. But the football being played by the Super Eagles has not been convincing enough.
Gernot Rohr is not a stranger to qualifying for the World Cup, as he led the Super Eagles through the 2018 series in outstanding fashion. At the time, there were even strong teams like Cameroon, Algeria, and Zambia in their group.
Rohr knows this Super Eagles squad very well, as he even game some of them their first minutes in a Nigerian jersey. So, he definitely knows their weak points too.
While the mentality of the Super Eagles players has always been questioned, Benin have proven to be die-hards on the pitch.
For Nigeria to defeat Benin, they would definitely need to hit another gear. The dots will have to connect. Eric Chelle and his boys have to be prepared because it won't be a match, it will be a battle.
