Benin Republic head coach, Genort Rohr, has acknowledged the significant gap in quality between his team and the Nigerian Super Eagles following their 3-0 loss in the first 2025 AFCON qualifying match in Uyo on Saturday.
Nigeria’s victory came courtesy of a brace from 2024 Ballon d’Or nominee Ademola Lookman, and a goal from reigning African Player of the Year, Victor Osimhen. This win also served as sweet revenge for Nigeria, who had lost their previous encounter 2-1 against Benin Republic in June.
Rohr, who previously coached the Super Eagles, praised Nigeria’s performance and admitted that the difference in class between the two squads was evident.
“What didn’t work is that we don’t have the same means as this Nigerian team. When you look at the Nigerian squad, they are all very high-level players who play for their clubs. And unfortunately, we have players who don’t play much for their clubs. So, you can’t compare the two squads,” Rohr said in an interview with Canal +.
He continued, “We managed to beat them at home. That gave them extra motivation to take their revenge, which is normal. And we saw that at home, in addition, with the stars present today, who weren’t there last time in Abidjan, the captain Ekong, also Osimhen. You see that there are means in this team that we don’t have. So, we have to stay in our place. But we want to finish at least in second place in this group. If you have conceded three goals, something has not worked within the defense.”
Despite the defeat, Rohr remains determined to lead the Benin Republic to the 2025 AFCON in Morocco. He emphasized the importance of the upcoming qualifiers, stating, “Of course, we want to go to the CAN. Benin missed two editions before my arrival. Now, we have to go. This time, it is very important. We all want to go to Morocco, and it is not because we lose in Nigeria that it calls into question our objective.”
