Former Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr could barely hide his emotions after Benin’s 4-0 defeat to the Super Eagles in Uyo — a result that ended his team’s dream of reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Cheetahs entered the game needing at least a draw to stay in contention, but Victor Osimhen’s hat-trick and Frank Onyeka’s late strike crushed their hopes in ruthless fashion, Footballrover reports.
‘I discovered Victor Osimhen, but he broke my heart’
For Rohr, the defeat carried a deeply personal sting. Facing the player he once nurtured into the national team spotlight, the 71-year-old coach admitted that watching Osimhen tear apart his Benin defence was both proud and painful.
“When you have such a player like Osimhen, I remember when I brought Osimhen in the team, he was 17, and we made here our first game against Tanzania. He was already in our selection, so I’m very happy to see him like that, but I’m not happy that he did it against me.”
With a bittersweet smile, Rohr added that while it hurt to see Osimhen end Benin’s World Cup hopes, he remains proud of his former player’s rise to global prominence.
“But I hope that he will do it in the play-offs for your country, which I love. But today we are a bit disappointed because the dream to go to the World Cup for us is finished.”
“The big disappointment is because we wanted to go to World Cup also, for the first time in the history. We could not.”
Gernot Rohr : ‘We don’t have enough players of high level’
The German tactician also shed light on the challenges that defined Benin’s qualifying campaign. Missing key players and lacking depth, Rohr admitted that his young squad struggled to match Nigeria’s quality and experience.
“We had to win here, and to win in Nigeria. When Nigeria is also playing for the playoffs, it’s something which is very difficult, especially if you miss two suspended players from the last game in Rwanda, and three injured players we had already before, from the September games. So we don’t have enough players of high level. Like you know, we have some players who started too much, who even don’t have a club, actually. We have some players who are playing in the 5th division in France.”
Despite the defeat, Rohr insisted he remains proud of his team’s spirit throughout the qualifiers.
“We don’t have enough players of high level. Like you know, we have some players who started too much, who even don’t have a club, actually. We have some players who are playing in the 5th division in France.
“But I’m proud of my team. I’m proud because they did so very well in this qualifiers for the World Cup, and we keep moving. Until the last game today. That’s why really I’m very happy to be part of this team. It’s a young team, they are still to learn.”
What happened is that Nigeria today made a very good match, and I must say that they deserve this result. We tried to play football. We had a good possession also. We had some opportunities. We had some shoots on the goal, but today was not a lucky day for my team. If we score, that’s what we said in halftime, if we score a goal now, they can have a doubt in the team because we saw all the other qualifiers, and Nigeria conceded the goal even in the last game in Lesotho. There was a little bit of naivety in the team.
That’s why we hoped to score again, but we conceded the third goal, and then I think they had the target from the goal difference to go to the play-offs to score another one. So it was motivation, and the dynamic of the game was on their side already after the third goal. That was very difficult for my young team,” he added.
‘The last step was too big for us’
Reflecting on the 4-0 loss, Rohr admitted that the gap between Benin and the Super Eagles remains wide, particularly when Nigeria is motivated by qualification.
“The lesson is that we have to come to Nigeria to win to go to the World Cup. That is, for the moment, the level is too high for us. The last step to win here was too big for us. We are not able with our team. We must be realistic. You come here and we will win. If Nigeria has the chance to go to the play-offs like today, it is very difficult.”
Still, Gernot Rohr expressed admiration for how much the Super Eagles have improved since his departure.
“You have so many players at a high level, strikers, and today I saw also the defence, the goalkeeper in a good match. Before, they had some problems. They are in progress.”
He ended on a gracious note, pledging his support for Nigeria in the upcoming play-offs:
“I am very happy to see them like friends. I will be the supporter for the play-offs. I will be the supporter for the World Cup. I can do it,” Gernot Rohr concluded.
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