Group C is the most compelling of the nine groups, with Africa Cup of Nations finalists Nigeria winless after four matches to sit fifth.
Under newly appointed head coach Finidi George, they were held 1-1 by South Africa in Uyo, Nigeria, where none of the Super Eagles’ vaunted attacking options stood up to replace the injured Victor Osimhen, before meeting a familiar face in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Monday.
Benin head coach Gernot Rohr, one of African football’s elder statesmen at 70, spent the best part of five years at the helm of the Super Eagles, between 2016 and 2021, taking them to the 2018 FIFA World Cup before reaching the AFCON semifinals in 2019. He was unceremoniously dismissed ahead of the 2021 Nations Cup, with few in Nigeria mourning his exit, and was without a managerial post before being appointed by Benin last year.
No one will have enjoyed the Leopards’ shock 2-1 victory over their neighbours more than Rohr, with a fine Jodel Dossou goal cancelling out Raphael Onyedika’s opener before Steve Mounié secured maximum points. This was Benin’s first victory over their nearby rivals, and Rohr will surely have taken great delight in downing his former employers.
For the Super Eagles, a stuttering start to the campaign leaves George under pressure only months into his new role.
“We can turn this around,” George said in his post-match press conference. “It’s difficult, but we have to start winning games. Once we do, then everything is possible in football.”
