The super eagles could not fly over the cheetahs of Benin republic.
The buildup of the match was controversial as the old national anthem was played instead of the new national anthem. The super eagles are in trouble as their hopes for qualification to the World Cup is fading, as they have recorded no wins in their 4 matches.
For the second match in a row the Super Eagles went into the second half, behind of their opponents.
The Super Eagles did not start convincingly but they took the lead through “the tank” Raphael Onyedika’s first goal for his country. But a schoolboy defensive error by Calvin Bassey allowed Jodel Dossou to level for Gernot Rohr’s men.
In the third minute of added time in the first half, Brest attacker Steve Mounie blasted home in the box as the Eagles failed to clear a corner kick.
Coach Finidi sent on Victor Boniface and Paul Onuachu for the ineffective Terem Moffi and Alex Iwobi.
A scramble in the Benin box ensued in the 66th minute, but the Cheetahs cleared their lines for a corner kick.
The Eagles needed Stanley Nwabali to rush off his line in the 69th minute to prevent a goal-scoring chance. Boniface and Onuachu collided in the 80th minute as the Eagles became more desperate. Spiking rumours that the duos was confused and finidi’s tactics was not assimilated by the squad.
A great delivery from Olawoyin saw Lookman’s header loop off a Beninoise defender for a corner kick. Lookman had a chance to shoot or square for Onuachu on the dot of 90 minutes, but he did neither and had to settle for a corner.
The Eagles have three points from three draws after the first four matches, while Rohr’s Benin lead Group C with seven points.
The minister of sports John Enoh has since requested a comprehensive technical report for the NFF following their disappointing outing in the World Cup qualifiers.
He blasted;
The recent results are unacceptable. “Despite significant support from President Tinubu and the high expectations of Nigerian football fans, the Super Eagles have fallen short.”
The NFF must submit a detailed technical report to explain the reasons for this poor performance and justify why there should not be consequences for the disappointment caused to both the government and the Nigerian public.” He continued.
In a statement via their super eagles official X handle the super eagles have expressed their regrets on her they played;
“We are back in the country and we are not happy about the way the two games panned out. We have had talks among ourselves and have resolved to fight hard till the end to ensure we do the impossible which is qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. We don’t take your support for granted, we thank you immensely. “
The next set of matches is in March 2025, when the Eagles will travel to Kigali to face Rwanda and then host Zimbabwe.
