BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Before meeting Rwanda last June in Abidjan in their matchday 3 duels of the World Cup qualifying series, the Benin Republic under Gernot Rohr had been having a winless run.

Rohr was employed on 28 February 2023 and had nine winless matches until they were compelled to move their home ground to Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.

In their first match at the stadium on 6 June this year, they won their first-ever match under Rohr when they defeated Rwanda 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier.

They followed up four days later when they beat Nigeria 2-1. It was their first-ever victory over Nigeria since their 10-1 loss in Lagos on 29 November 1959.

Since June this year, they have won all their matches in Abidjan. Will the winning streak continue?

On Wednesday evening, the eve of Benin Republic’s match with the Super Eagles in Abidjan, Benin’s manager, Gernot Rohr opened up on the game that could decide whether Cheetahs will qualify for Morocco 2025.

The technician knew what awaited his team against a Nigerian team to be feared on paper.

He spoke a little on his defensive strategy, especially the inclusion of two players – Ryan Adigo and Lenny Pirringuel – in his squad.

” Ryan has been playing full-back for a few months now at his club (Lokomotive Leipzig in Germany). We needed someone in that position, and that’s why he’s here. Lenny has changed clubs. With his liveliness, he can bring us something. Both of them can help us from tomorrow. They’re good! ” said the Franco-German coach.

Counting on the young talents he has in his team, Gernot Rohr says he’s ready to create a surprise against the Super Eagles.

” When I said yesterday (Tuesday) that Nigeria is practically at full strength, it is neither fear nor dread. I am realistic.

“We know that they are favourites on paper and that it will take a feat to beat them again.

“But, we are confident, despite the absences that we have, that we can play a good match.

“We have our say. It is true that we will know the result of the Rwanda-Libya match before the start of our encounter but that will not influence our desire to win. We want to win this match,” he added.

Benin Republic and Nigeria are meeting for the third time this year and all within a space of five months.

This Thursday night match is the penultimate qualifying match for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. While Nigeria’s Super Eagles are relatively in a comfortable situation in the qualifying series, it is a cliffhanger for the Cheetahs of Benin.

They cannot afford to drop points as both Rwanda and Libya are in hot pursuit.

Christian Hounongbe, a Beninese journalist at La Nation, has analysed the path that the Cheetahs have to navigate to circumvent the Super Eagles’ hurdles.

Here are the points of interest that he enunciated. To him, the key for Benin to the match is “maintaining mental and physical stability in the face of the Nigerian assaults, while correcting past mistakes.”

According to him, in the first leg match played in Uyo last September, and the one against Rwanda in Kigali, the Cheetahs’ lack of resilience was felt, especially after each goal conceded.

Hounongbe added that those goals led to loss of morale and concentration that allowed their opponents to take the upper hand.

“Against a Nigeria team brimming with talent, the Beninese will have to demonstrate mental discipline at all times, even in the event of a hard blow.

“This time, there is no question of letting themselves be destabilized. The Cheetahs must show constant fighting spirit and concentration to stand up to the Super Eagles.”

Continuing, the journalist wrote:  “Also, the tendency to withdraw must not be the order of the day in this return match. This attitude, observed after the opening goal against Rwanda, allowed the Amavubi to get back into the match.

“Against Nigeria in the first leg, an overly defensive approach left the field open to the Super Eagles, who finished with 57% possession compared to 43% for Benin.

“For this return match, it will be important for the Cheetahs to maintain a certain offensive presence, even in the event of a goal.

“The objective: not to allow Nigeria to impose its pace of play. Rather than giving in to the pressure of the opponent, the Beninese will have to build and maintain the pressure to avoid finding themselves locked in their half of the field.

Hounongbe took a retrospective view of Benin’s last match in October and pointed out that “against Rwanda, marking errors and spaces left allowed the Amavubi to multiply opportunities in the second half, putting the Beninese defense in difficulty.

“The same observation was made in the first leg against Nigeria where the Beninese defence had already conceded five shots on target.

“Against a team like Nigeria, which had attempted 13 shots in total during the first leg, the organization and defensive rigour will have to be flawless this Thursday in Abidjan.”

Hounongbe called on defenders like Rachid Mimouni, Olivier Verdon or Mohamed Tidjani to tighten the lines to minimize the positioning errors that had cost dearly in the past.

“Benin will also have to win the midfield battle. Because the loss of midfield duels was one of Benin’s weaknesses against Rwanda and Nigeria.

“In the first leg against the Super Eagles, Nigeria made 475 passes against 373 for Benin, with an accuracy of 84% against 79%.

“This dominance allowed them to impose themselves in this sector and put the Beninese under constant pressure.

“Against Rwanda, the Cheetahs also struggled, displaying only 34% possession. The key for the Cheetahs will be their ability to keep the ball in midfield and create openings.

“Better organization in midfield, avoiding losing duels and anticipating restarts, will be necessary to avoid repeating the scenario of previous matches.”