'Nigeria thought it was done' – Gernot Rohr questions Super Eagles’ mentality after helping Benin claim big win

Coach Gernot Rohr has questioned the mentality of the Super Eagles players after he led Benin to a 2-1 win over Nigeria on Monday.

The Super Eagles were looking to fully launch themselves into the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Monday, when they played Benin at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny stadium in Ivory Coast. Nigeria had drawn their first three games, and the Benin fixture was the perfect fixture to get back on track.

However, the Super Eagles flattered to deceive, as despite scoring first, they fell apart and conceded twice in the space of twelve minutes. The team huffed and puffed, but Benin held on strong and got the win.

It was Benin’s first-ever win against Nigeria, and Gernot Rohr, who coached Nigeria between 2016 and 2021 was quite upbeat about the result.

Meanwhile, he was quite critical of the Super Eagles, as he feels their lapse in concentration gave Benin the advantage.

“We had the right organization, Nigeria scored the first goal, perhaps, they believed it was already done. But the reaction, the desire of my team was so strong that they could come back to win the match,” Rohr said, per Favour Itua.

Nigeria’s loss puts them in a tough situation, as they now sit fifth in Group C, four points behind Benin, who sit atop of the group.

If Finidi George does not start getting the results soon, Nigeria will miss a second consecutive World Cup.