Goals from debutant Akor Adams and a well taken penalty from William Troost-Ekong secured a hard-fought 2-1 win for the Super Eagles against Lesotho in Friday’s Group C 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Polokwane, South Africa.
The result means the Super Eagles are now on 14 points and still occupy third position in Group C.
It was the Eagles’ third win in nine matches in the World Cup qualifying campaign.
In the group’s other fixtures Benin Republic secured a moral boosting 1-0 win away to Rwanda which took them to 17 points and maintain top spot.
Former group leaders South Africa ‘s Bafana Bafana were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw with neighbours Zimbabwe.
With the draw, South Africa remain in second place on 15 points in the group standing.
The final fixtures of the qualifiers will be played on Tuesday with the Super Eagles hosting Benin Republic, South Africa will welcome Rwanda and Lesotho and Zimbabwe will battle.
The Super Eagles had the upper hand in the early exchanges and in the third minute Ademola Lookman had the first attempt on goal but Lesotho keeper got down well to claim the ball.
Also Read: 2026 WCQ: We’ll Not Do South Africa Any Favours –Zimbabwe Head Coach, Nees
On five minutes Alex Iwobi had the chance to open the scoring after connecting with a through pass but was denied by Lesotho keeper.
In the 13th minute Iwobi tried a long range strike which was comfortably saved by the keeper.
With 10 minutes left Victor Osimhen connected with a cross but it went straight to the keeper.
In added minute Tolu Arokodare connected to Lookman’s corner but could not direct it towards goal.
The Super Eagles continued from where they stopped from the first half and on 54 minutes the Super Eagles opened the scoring through Troost-Ekong from the penalty spot after a Lesotho player handled Moses Simon’s shot.
On 60 minutes Iwobi tried a long range shot but the keeper tipped over the bar.
In the 63rd minute Simon had a big chance to double the Super Eagles lead but saw his effort cleared off the line.
With 20 minutes left Lesotho won a free kick close to the corner flag but the chance went out for goal kick.
Substitute Adams doubled the lead for the Super Eagles on 80 minutes as he received a pass from Osimhen, dribbled past his marker before hitting a low left foot shoot into the back of the net.
But just three minutes later Lesotho pulled a goal back through Kalake who was quickest to react after Nwabali fumbled a corner kick.
Then in the last minute of stoppage time Lesotho almost equalised after Nwabali once again fumbled with a cross but the player saw his strike go just off target.
By James Agberebi
51 Comments
Akuna matata!!!!.
Wike, this team is weak.
Please can someone take out this nwabali out of of this team, he is the main reason this team is struggling, he is not even near better, if not for professionalism one of this super eagles player’s would have fight this guy on the pitch,
No comment because I don’t know what to say. Yes we won but I’m speechless maybe someone will come and explain what’s the meaning of the Goalkeeping to me. Is he on tramadol or sniffing hard drugs??
See us struggling to defeat by 3-2 on aggregate the same lesotho we once walloped 7-2 under Gernot Rohr……LMAOoo.
NFF please let go of this Malian Touareg after his contract expires on Tuesday and get as a competent Dutch or German Coach after AFCON to begin a rebuild of this super eagles team ahead of the 2030 world cup.
I think it is time we looked for another goalkeeper.
Did you call him Malian Tuareg? Your Nigerian brothers, Finidi, Eguavoen. Rohr and Pasero all got us into this mess. Please leave Eric Chelle out of the equation. Has the “Malian tuareg” lost any match?
Sometimes football makes us forget the past.
How did Gernot Rohr get you into this mess?
Not in the present qualifiers but remember Rohr was fired in 2021 when poor results started coming in and Eguavoen was drafted to conclude the world cup qualifiers of which we eventually lost to Ghana.
Poor results…..? From where…?
We finished top of our group with a 2-point lead over our rivals, Cape Verde, with 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss (13pts) in 6 games. That same Cape Verde is dumping Cameroon into the playoffs in this current series…….LMAOooooo.
We defeated every team in our group on aggregate if head-to-head were to be considered. It has taken us 9 matches to amass as many points this time around.
If we did the same 2.17 points per game under Rohr in your so-called poor results this WCQ series by now, we would be on 19.5 points and would have qualified with at least 2 games to spare
So tell us where your so-called poor results were coming from……..LMAOoooo
Is the coach to blame for the yeye blunder from the over confident GK as well? At this junction any coach who retain this same set of unserious player will have same shit to face, bring guardiola or ZZ, this set of player are just bunch of below average set of players period.
What is my business with the Atilogwu dancer you guys call a goalkeeper? Is this going to be is 5th or 8th blunder in SE colours…??
If you still cannot see the tactical bankruptcy of Eric Chelle after our last 4 matches, then I have nothing to discuss with you.
This same bunch of below-average set of players was what Rohr was using to perform magic during his time as coach. He is even using a more lowly rated bunch of players to top our group now…..something I can beat my chest Chelle can never do.
So ur Rorh was winning and the NFF fired him abi? Oga we’ve moved passed Rorh and you can’t reversed it okay, I’ve told you on here severally that a coach is as good as the players available for him, if Rorh was that good, what was his achievement during his 5yrs with ur? Dnt bring that ur he qualified us with games to spare pls.
Ivory Coast took a gambled with Emerse Fae in the middle of AFCON, dude swang into action, won them the AFCON and they are presently unbeaten in their group without conceding, that’s what I call a coach and Nt an average coach that spent 5 good yrs with us and won nothing.
Rorh might be better than all our coaches after him but that didn’t make him above average of a coach himself pls.
Some ppl sha! I have no words. Even when it’s clear like night and day. This man met us when we were struggling to qualify for AFCON back-to-back and made qualifying so easy that it erased past woes from our memories. Ppl here kept calling him mechanic that he’ll never achieve anything post-SE. Mind u our NFF still paid him for almost full-yr bcos of their incompetence. Now the mechanic is close to taking Benin to WC with their division 2 and 3 players in a group that has SE superstars, including current and previous African footballer of the year winners. Even when you’re dying you’ll still refuse to accept the truth, and that my friend is why Nigeria our country is where we are today.
How many games did he win? How about how many tournaments did we miss? What did he achieve in 5 yrs? He achieved what our local incompetents combined couldn’t
Hahahahaha……Of course, Rohr finished third in our WCQ group with 4 draws, 2 losses, and 1 win……..LMAOooo…that was why NFF fired him…….LMAOooo
Of course again, we have moved on from Rohr……that is why we are back to not qualifying for back-to-back World Cups the same way we couldn’t qualify for back-to-back AFCONs before we hired him……LMAOooo.
Yea….a coach is as good as the players available to him, that is why Rohr is on top of the group with 2nd and 3rd division Beninise footballers, despite playing 9 “away matches” while we and our superstars playing in EPL are 3 points behind in 3rd place.
Yea, Rohr was with us for 5yrs a period in which we were only able to attend 1 AFCON and he took us from not qualifying back-to-back to a place on the podium. I wonder what other achievements you want
Because Fae won a host-assisted afcon now he’s now a reference point…….LMAOOo. Mention another coach who has ever done so if it isn’t an anomaly. Thank God he is still coach of CIV and another AFCON is coming in December, this time away from home…….we will know how good he truly is very soon. If he could win AFCON in 2 weeks, then he would definitely stroll to the title in Morocco after 2 years on the saddle
All of a sudden our players have become bunch of below average set of players…….LMAOoooo. I guess Benin Republic has 5 AFOTY in their team abi………LMAOoooo. They are loaded to the teeth with world class players.
Indeed, a coach is as good as the players available to him…….LMAOooo
Rohr has shown he deserves to be labelled more than just being “average” cos he’s doing big things with a team that cannot even be classed as “below average”.
Your bunch of below-average set of players would have long qualified for this World Cup (and even qualified for the last World cup too) if we had a coach half as average as Rohr…..and even you cannot argue against that FACT.
I disagree with you. Nigeria lost that AFCON final because of technical bankruptcy of out team and the coach. Our coach then, Wudrum abi na wetin be him name didn’t know what to do in that match. As a matter of fact, our coach ran out of ideas in that match. Otherwise, how on earth can a coach instruct his players to start and win an AFCON final with a defensive game without the usual attack that Nigeria is traditionally known for? We banking and depending on the slightest defensive flop by the Ivorians to score. We lost that Match to technical indiscipline.,not solely to ivory coast change of the coach.
Oga shut up…
You’ve obviously exposed your shallow mind by your comments on Rohr …
I don’t pity Nigerians… They deserve whatever they’re getting now both in government and in sports
Nwabali should know that always looking overconfident and putting us in tense situations with his delays to shoot out will not mask his shortcomings. How many goals on target does he really stop?
You can’t communicate with your defenders and tell them to leave the ball, yet you blame them? He keeps conceding stupid goals like the one he did against Zimbabwe with the last kick of the match.
Now, aside from leading the group, Benin has a superior 2-goal difference advantage. Even a 1-0 win won’t do the job against them. We must win by 2 goals or more.
Why will you drop the ball in the 18-yard box with opposing players all around? When you know Ndidi and Ekong are as slow as a snail in 2nd ball reaction?
Just negodu, the ball bounced in front of Ndidi. He just needed to react quickly, but no. Losing a ball is not a big deal for him. The other one, Ekong, was strolling along with the ball, whereas a younger player like Osayi would have slid and played it out.
In fact I thought Semi Ajayi and Calvin Bassey would pair in central defense knowing the Troost Ekong is slow and age is catching up on him by the day.
Even when he was young, ekong has never been a fantastic defender reason clubs keep shipping him everywhere, he shd thank Peseiro for deploying that 3man backline during the last AFCON. There was this scenario where he was strolling with the ball inside his own 18 and conceded a corner kick, we might blame all this coaches and NFF but bu ch if the fault still lies on this unserious players.
Coach aren’t gonna teach u guys the basic of soccer for crying out loud, look at how toothless that tolu was all through the first half, like how do all this guys secured the clubs they playing for?
Wrong…..!
A young Ekong marshalled our defence to Olympic bronze. A young Ekong was the other half of the famous Oyinbo wall, the most formidable defensive partnership we had since 1994.
He remains the only CB in Nigerian football history after Taribo West to have played in the Serie A and the EPL, 2 of the toughest leagues in the world
Agreed, Ekong might be aging now, but he’s won every sensible medal we have won in football since the 2013 AFCON as a starting Centre Back and integral member of each squad. The coaches of those teams were not dumb. Show some respect….!
Blame the coach who does not know how to deploy an aging center-back
Most of the time during the match Ndidi was playing in more advanced position than Iwobi. Who gave him that liver? What has he ever done in advanced roles. He should be semi- defender not trying to play as no.10
How will Benin finish above Nigeria if we beat them by 1 goal?
Benin is currently on 17 points with a +5 goal difference, while Nigeria is currently on 14 points with a +3 goal difference. So if we beat them 1 -0 on Tuesday, then we’ll be on 17 points, same as them, but now on a +4 goal difference. They would now also be on a +4 goals difference.
However, head-to-head, they’ll be ahead cos they won 2-1 while we won 1-0. These count too. So to play safe, we must win 2-0. If we had sustained the 2-0 yesterday, we only need a 1-0 win on Tuesday.
I don’t think so.Rules are rules.
Head to head will be in use in the case of a tie breaker.
So should we win Benin by a goal margin we will be on equal point so Fifa could use a tose of coin or other methods to decide who wins the group.
Let the boys shoot for 2 unreply goals, but I think 1 goal shd as well see us through if SA loose to Rwanda, fifa might use away goal rule which will favor us considering we score them away.
With 1-0 win, the tie breaker will be decided by the away goal advantage for Nigeria
Thumbs up Sister woman Mercy. You spoke well.
Exactly my thought @mercy. But I will advise we go all out for a comfortable win.
God bless you kel. I was very angry with Nwabali this night. Who knows if it’s goal difference that would determine who top the group at the end of the day?
The goal deference between Nigeria and Benin Republic would have reduced by one if Nwabali had not given Lesotho Free goal.
One mistakes and fault from one players or the other in each match and that against which opponent self? It’s well.
Most of these players are playing with our emotion, because they know after all they have their clubs to go back to.
Can’t you guys see these people don’t really care about the worldcup.
This team is not only weak but also wicked as one person has been putting it here.
A lot of our players have made money but village attitude remains in their blood. That’s exactly what Nwabali keeps displaying. Unintelligence is becoming a problem with Nigerian players. Even when Ekong nods the ball to safety he doesn’t time his header to his team mates but he nods towards the opponent to make loose balls and create tension against us. We might pay the price for this foolishness in future matches against advanced teams.
Zimbabwe almost won SA and that would have done us huge Favor but a draw is not enough because Rwanda against South Africa might be rigged. And Nigeria will likely be clueless or toothless against Benin as we witnessed in the first half today. This generation of players don’t have fire in them due to some negative players like Bruno Ndidi Ekong and Nwabali joining the bad book with his village attitude. Very disgusting!!!!
Considering the attitude of the players since the commencement of the WCQ, it will be unfair to go to the next year world cup.
I enjoyed watching the flying eagles in Chile than the super eagles vs Lesotho today.
Their incoherent, uncordinating and lack of fighting spirit makes watching them nauseating.
If akor had not scored that second goal, we could have easily drawn that game again.
There is something the players are protesting against that is not yet in the open.
Is it the non fulfillment of the houses pledged to them after afcon last year? Is it the allowances still not paid them from previous matches?
Is it that Lesotho, Zimbabwe or Benin have suddenly become fearsome that we can’t win convincingly anymore to save our lives?
4 coaches ran these qualifiers and the players have not shone in even one of 9 games.
Maybe some have been told that no matter what, until their bonuses are paid, they cannot be replaced.
I know NFF is mad, we’ve known that a long time, but come on, 17 players representing a nation of 200m people can’t be so pathetic in all of 9 matches na and still feel comfortable.
We need investigative journalists to unravel this team. This is not a team that is sorrowful for their current delicate position.
NFF has been crazy from time immemorial but the players are bent on doing something wrong.
I don’t know what it is.
I honestly think this players are playing under pressure, I believe they will perform better in a relaxed situation…… Finidi George caused all these!
I genuinely commend Eric Chelle for restoring a measure of sanity and structure to the Super Eagles. After re-evaluating my earlier stance on him — and yes, swallowing a bit of my own pride — I can say this much: Results have indeed improved. In a short time, he has achieved something his immediate predecessors consistently failed to do — bring a sense of direction and consistency.
Now, let’s be clear: re-evaluating my stance and admitting his good work doesn’t mean I’m totally convinced he’s the right man, tactically, to handle the Super Eagles. I still have my doubts. But this new observation could help in the meantime if he addresses it. And who knows — I just might change my mind.
But even the brightest dawn can hide a few lingering clouds. For Chelle, that cloud is a tactical ghost that keeps haunting his reign — the team’s frustrating tendency to crumble right after scoring.
It’s a curious thing: the moment the Super Eagles find the net, they seem to lose their heads. Suddenly, the same players who looked like prime Barcelona five minutes earlier begin to defend like a Sunday league side. Possession becomes a myth, shape disappears, and panic sets in. It’s as if scoring a goal activates some mysterious internal switch — from “attack with conviction” to “defend in confusion.”
We’ve seen this movie before — and it’s not a blockbuster. Rwanda away, Zimbabwe home and away, Lesotho, and even that Unity Cup friendly against Ghana in London all followed the same script. The Eagles start like gladiators, controlling tempo, pressing smartly, and moving the ball crisply. Then they score, drop deeper, and let the opponent dictate play. Before long, they’re hanging on for dear life while fans are left chewing their nails down to the skin.
So, why does this keep happening?
First, Chelle’s teams suffer from what I call “possession insecurity.” Once they’re in front, the players look torn between two orders — “protect the lead” and “don’t stop playing.” The result? Confusion. Coaches who emphasize rigid structure often find themselves trapped here. Their players become unsure whether to keep pushing forward or freeze — and in that hesitation, momentum dies.
Second, the midfield collapses under sustained pressure. Instead of holding their line and controlling the tempo, our midfielders retreat so deep they might as well ask the goalkeeper for space. Transitions vanish, the strikers become lonely up front, and the team shape dissolves into a frantic scramble.
Third, Chelle’s substitutions sometimes do the opposite of what they’re meant to. Taking off Victor Osimhen, especially in games that hang by a thread, is like removing the battery from your smoke alarm during a fire. Osimhen isn’t just a striker — he’s an entire system. His presence alone keeps defenders honest. Once he’s gone, the opposition breathes again, and the Super Eagles forget how to manage a game.
Fourth, there’s a visible lack of game management training. When protecting a lead, Chelle’s team looks unsure — no clear sense of when to press, slow down, or recycle possession. They defend reactively instead of proactively. You’ll see wild clearances where calm passes should be, panic where patience is needed. That’s how teams like Rwanda and Lesotho, who should be handled with ease, suddenly become monsters.
Once upon a time, midfield generals like Okocha or Mikel could slow things down, dictate rhythm, and suffocate opponents with pure ball retention. Now, that composure is missing — and Chelle hasn’t figured out how to replicate it, or even improvise a version of it.
To his credit, though, Chelle’s record in these qualifiers — three wins and two draws — is no small feat. Eleven points from fifteen is solid. But with better in-game management, it could easily have been a flawless run. It’s déjà vu from his Mali days — that infamous AFCON loss to Ivory Coast, where tactical lapses overshadowed an otherwise brilliant performance.
Some defend his substitutions as part of “player rotation,” but let’s not kid ourselves — the moment Osimhen leaves the pitch, the entire team starts breathing unevenly. We saw it against Rwanda in Uyo: once Osimhen limped off, intensity dipped, possession lost meaning, and it took a moment of sheer luck from Tolu to rescue us. Even against Lesotho, if Fusi Matlabe’s late shot had sneaked in after that comical mix-up between Nwabali and Semi Ajayi, Nigeria’s World Cup hopes might have gone up in smoke. At this point, we’ve survived more by fortune than by flawless planning.
What Chelle needs now isn’t revolution, but evolution. He must learn the delicate art of killing games. Take a page from South Africa’s playbook in Bloemfontein a few weeks ago — they sensed our momentum, shut shop, and closed the game like seasoned professionals. That’s the level of composure Chelle must instill.
He also needs midfielders who can control tempo, not just runners and destroyers. Sadly, he doesn’t seem to trust that type. Too often, he packs the squad with forwards — half of whom end up starring as professional benchwarmers — while the midfield gasps for breath. That’s not depth; that’s imbalance.
Modern football rewards thinkers, not just motivators. Chelle must blend structure with psychology — teach his team to stay switched on after scoring, to play with calm arrogance rather than nervous energy.
Because football at this level isn’t about how brightly you start — it’s about how smartly you finish. Chelle’s Super Eagles can thrill, sparkle, and even dominate, but until they learn to control games after taking the lead, they’ll remain a team of “almosts.”
And in football, almost doesn’t win tournaments. It only breaks hearts — repeatedly.
If Chelle doesn’t fix this tactical fragility soon, the ghosts of Abidjan — where his Mali side dazzled but fell — might just follow him to the next AFCON. That’s if, of course, he’s still around to meet them.
The harm Rohr did to Nigerian football lingers till tomorrow. Where and how on earth did you or have you heard Nigeria surrender 4 zero leads to a team like Sierra Leone in Nigeria? Losing to CAR in Nigeria and South Africa.
Rohr almost killed Nigerian football and he is the root cause of all these lack of confidence and no creativity. All they do is move the ball. Terrible Rohr.
The only thing I liked about Rohr was not playing high balls and asking the attackers to move the ball faster which is a modern trend in football.
You are wrong @coachie, u forgot he qualified us with games to spare and that alone is enough to qualify him as Nigeria best ever coach to his fans?.
Rorh till date is Nigeria longest serving coach, which literally mean the NFF supported him and was forced to do away with him when the result started been funny and unacceptable which was the norm anywhere in the world but his follower want us to stick with him forever.
Shuaibu our own man of the soil took over the team while 5pts behind during 2002 WC qualifier, delivered the spot for us and NFF fired him before the mundial, heaven didn’t come down. Our brother, else captain, legend of the game Stephen Keshi was hired November 2012, he lasted less than 2yrs and delivered the 2013 AFCON and was again fired, who then is Rorh that was head coach for 5yrs with only qualification with games to spare to show? Like is he the first and last coach to qualify a team for tournament ?.
Hahaahaha….so has anyone ever come here to rubbish Amodu despite him qualifyiny us for the WC twice and winning 2 bronze medals in 16 team AFCONs…?
Has anyone come here to rubbish Keshi for winning AFCON yet failing to qualify for the next edition…?
But all of a sudden, the same things you praise Keshi and Amodu for have become “ordinary” and not worthy of commendation for Rohr, who took us from the latrines of 16th in Africa and 70th in the world and put Nigeria back in a position of respect and failing to qualify for ordinary AFCON back to back.
Rohr was not the first and last coach to qualify us for tournaments, but store it at the back of your skull that ROHR QUALIFIED US FOR A WORLD CUP WE HAD NO BUSINESS……..I REPEAT…….NO BUSINESS QUALIFYING FOR. Even Segun Odegbami acknowledges that.
He qualified us for the World Cup when we were the lowest-ranked team in our group, not with our Golden Generation of players. He qualified us for the World Cup when our players could not sign for English Championship clubs because of our FIFA rankings. And he didn’t do these things as a once of……..he was consistent and did them BACK TO BACK TO BACK TO BACK. We were producing top scorers in every assignment he undertook. Intelligent people who know football will understand what that means.
Even Brazil invited us to a friendly under Rohr. Brazil doesn’t invite you for a friendly if you are not in the top 30 of FIFA rankings. I hope you realize we have not been able to equal our previous FIFA rankings for 4 years now………LMAOOooo.
And guess what, the same Rohr has gone to Benin Republic, not Ghana, not Senegal, not Ivory Coast………..BENIN REPUBLIC and is almost replicating the same things as if he has players playing in the EPL, SERIE A, La Liga and UCL at his disposal in Benin Republic.
I am sure your hatred for him will still not let you acknowledge that as a feat worthy of eulogy.
Here we are now needing a win and praying for others to lose so we can avoid our 2nd consecutive WC failure after we sacked him……..LMAOooo….whereas he needs only a draw to qualify BENIN for the World Cup…..LMAOOoo….something similar to what Keshi did in Togo albeit Keshi even has an world class Emmanuel Adebayor to build his team around. Pls who does Rohr have in Benin republic
I will give whatever respect i will give Keshi to Rohr…….so prepare to cry more if I rank him as one of Nigeria’s best ever coaches………LMAOoooo
The day you tell us any coach who took Nigeria 40 places up the FIFA rankings during his tenure, that will be the last day I will mention Rohr’s name on this forum.
Im not an ingrate like you and your folks.
So I’m an ingrate bcos na me fire ur small god Rorh or what? You are funny man, I think you need apply for the NFF president position so u can re-hire him if to you soccer coaching start and end with him. Nobody I’ve ever tarnished or downgrade Rorh impact with our NT during his reign as head coach, he did what he was paid for, secured qualification as expected and NFF retained him which was the reason he was our longest serving head coach since 1933, I.e 92yrs of NFF existence. If a manager who served for mere 5yrs happened to be the longest serving manager, it shows how our NFF operate and valued him but are we then suppose to give him a lifetime contract?
If he win us tomorrow and qualify benin for the WC, bravo and congrat to him and if SA or Nigeria eventually qualify, he shd try another time be that. All this ur he did this , he did that, he won with game to spare bla bla bla was the reason he stayed 5yrs, he got booted when the team started loosing form and it’s obvious he has lost it with the team.
Hahahahaha……”….he got booted when the team started losing form, and it’s obvious he has lost it with the team….”
Rohr’s losing form (March 2021 to November 2021):
Played 10 matches:
Won 6:
(AFCONQ vs Benin 1:0), (AFCONQ vs Lesotho 3:0), (WCQ vs Liberia 2:0), (WCQ vs CPV 2:1), (WCQ vs CAR 2:0), (WCQ vs Liberia 2:0)
Drew 2:
(Friendly vs Cameroon 0:0), (WCQ vs CPV 1:1)
Lost 2: (Friendly vs Cameroon 0:1), (WCQ vs CAR 0:1)
Rohr’s last days saw him losing form but still recording a 60% win ratio,
Rohr’s last days saw him losing form by only losing and drawing only 1 competitive match each in the entire year.
Rohr’s last days saw him losing form, but still saw us score 13 goals, concede 4, and keep 6 clean sheets in 10 games in the entire year.
Rohr’s “terrible” last days in office, when he was losing form, seem to be looking like heaven compared to what we are experiencing now………LMAOOooo. If he was still recording a 60% win ratio when he was losing form and had lost it with the team, imagine what he was doing when he was on form……LMAOOoo.
Even the NFF cannot cook up this type of lie as the reason the sacked Rohr………LMAOoooo
And they say we should stop acknowledging Rohr for what he did with a team that couldn’t qualify for the ordinary AFCON back-to-back before he came.
Shebi, we have had 5 coaching changes in just 4 years after “booting” him out, and we are about to FAIL to qualify for back-to-back World Cups………LMAOoooo
@Coache, I read your comment and nearly spilled my tea. You said Rohr “almost killed Nigerian football”? Omo, if Rohr killed it, then what we’ve been watching since he left must be the resurrection of Lazarus gone wrong — because this “football” we play now looks more like lab practicals than the beautiful game.
But before we go too far, let me set something straight:
I wasn’t born in Rohr’s PR office. In fact, I was among those who led the protest for his sack back in the day. I shouted, analyzed, and even quarreled with people like @Dr. Drey, who defended Rohr like a human rights lawyer. I was screaming, “This man has lost it!” especially after that shocking home defeat to the Central African Republic. I remember that day vividly — Nigeria 0, CAR 1 — and me staring at my screen like someone whose JAMB result just disappeared from the portal.
So, yes, I was one of Rohr’s fiercest critics.
But do I regret it today Absolutely! In fact, if regret had a face, it would be mine every time I watch the Super Eagles these days. Because truth be told, since Rohr left, we’ve been doing trial and error with national pride. One coach comes, talks about “philosophy,” the next talks about “project,” another says “DNA” — and yet, the football looks like pure chaos served cold.
Under Rohr:
1. We qualified for the 2018 World Cup with two games to spare. Even in 1994, with our highly revered golden generation, we didn’t do it in that fashion.
2. We went to Russia and didn’t disgrace ourselves — even gave Messi and Argentina a proper fright. One small VAR decision and we’d have dumped Messi into early retirement.
3. We had structure. We had discipline. We had identity.
Now, fast-forward to post-Rohr Nigeria — we couldn’t even qualify for the 2022 World Cup, losing to Ghana on away goals after producing 180 minutes of football flatter than warm zobo. If Rohr had been in charge, we’d have been in Qatar, no argument. Say what you will, but the man knew how to get results, even if the football wasn’t champagne-level.
You mentioned Sierra Leone coming back from 4–0 down — fair. But even the great Pep Guardiola has witnessed his Manchester City collapse before to weaker oppositins. Football is madness sometimes. The difference is, under Rohr, mistakes had lessons; under others, mistakes have become culture. This is a fact I didn’t realize back in the day he wasn’t getting the needed results, hence my heavy criticisms.
And here’s the ultimate irony — the same Rohr that was branded “terrible” has now taken Benin Republic (BENIN o!) to the top of their World Cup qualifying group. Not only that, he’s the same man who beat us — Nigeria — with Finidi George on the touchline in Ivory Coast. That match was like watching your ex doing better without you — driving your car, wearing your shirt, and still waving at you from the window.
Now we’re about to face him again on Tuesday, and I’ll be honest, that game smells like poetic justice waiting to happen. Because Rohr knows us inside out — from Osimhen’s mood swings to Ekong’s tired hamstrings. He built most of this current squad himself! Since he left, the pipeline of fresh discoveries has dried up like sachet water in Atacama Desert. Rohr gave us players like Lookman, Ola Aina, Victor Osimhen, and Maduka Okoye — but now, nobody’s discovering anything again. All we see these days are players in Tanzania and Aba being forced on coaches to use and recycle.
You said Rohr killed creativity? I spectacularly disagree. Rohr was a realist, not a magician. That’s another fact I didn’t realize then. He knew African football isn’t about dancing with the ball — it’s about surviving terrible pitches like the one in Bloemfontein, horrible referees, like the one in charge of South Africa-Nigeria match, the humidity, like the one we suffered in Accra against Ghana in 2021 and even the hostile host, Like the Libyans, who kept our players at an abandoned airport for 16 hours. His teams were disciplined, organized, and focused. He didn’t give us chaos — he gave us control. You can’t be creative if you’re busy conceding from every cross and corner.
Under Rohr, qualifications were routine. Now, we’re back to punching calculators like WAEC students trying to see if 39.5 can round up to 40.
Say what you like, but Rohr remains one of the most accomplished Super Eagles coaches when it comes to getting Nigeria to major international tournaments. He restored calm after chaos, delivered qualification after confusion, and brought stability where scandal once reigned. He wasn’t flashy, but his results spoke far louder than the noise of coaches we’ve hyped since.
So yes, @Coache, Rohr had flaws — plenty. But even his bad days had better direction than what we’ve seen since. He was like that strict maths teacher you hated in school — until you realized you actually passed because of him.
Now, the same man we sacked might just be the one to stop us from qualifying for the next World Cup. Call it irony, karma, or just good old football — either way, the joke’s on us.
@Femi and Papafem great submissions from you guys without insults. We played and qualified with games to spear but the team conceded with reckless abandon. We sacrificed creativity and confident play for grinding out results and qualifying with games to spear.
The SE cannot spring ten good uninterrupted passes together, they lost it under Rohr and have not recovered.
Nobody in the middle can hold up play when needed. They could not even muster delay tactics even when we are leading. Who do us?
I come in peace!
“….We played and qualified with games to spear but the team conceded with reckless abandon….”
Cheap liar….!
Rohr played 55 games as coach and kept 22 clean sheets.
Of the 33 remaining matches he only conceded more than 1 goal in only 13 of the games.
So in 55 games
22 games – zero goals conceded
20 games – 1 goal conceded
13 games – >1 goal conceded
Oya show us the goals we conceded with reckless abandon.
“…..We sacrificed creativity and confident play for grinding out results ….”
Yet we produced the top scorers of the 2018 WCQ, 2019 AFCONQ, the 2019 AFCON itself, and the 2021 WCQ……LMAOooo. Maybe it was your ancestors who where giving our strikers through passes to emerge top scorers 4 times a row…..LMAOoo. You as a coachee (a fake one at that) will tell us how a team can consistently produce top scorers 4 times a row without creativity and confident play……LMAoooo
Since Rohr was sacked in 2021, we have had Eguavoen, Peserio, Finidi, Eguavoen (again) and now Chelle……..but Rohr is still the problem of the team……LMAOoo.
No man, you cant continue like this man.
When will you learn to stop telling lies as old as you are….?
Its obvious you are one of those whom Rohr sent into hunger and penury for 5 years while he was in charge, that is why you can cook up any type of lies to paint the man black.
“He also needs midfielders who can control tempo, not just runners and destroyers. Sadly, he doesn’t seem to trust that type. Too often, he packs the squad with forwards — half of whom end up starring as professional benchwarmers — while the midfield gasps for breath. That’s not depth; that’s imbalance.”
Just like Amorim at United, I should think our national team coaches may have been told to make do with the players the NFF made available, especially the midfield.
It’s been near the same for nearly a decade and successive coaches haven’t had the balls to redirect the flow to new ways of trying the same thing.
Kind of like the available should be preferred because the preferred isn’t unavailable.
Anybody who comes to this platform to shower praise on Rohr must be damn stupid . What did Rohr achieve after the exit of Mikel and Victor Moses ? Nothing. Those two players were what is missing in our midfield.
Unless we get a sound coach that can tactically change the phase of eagles from that two players perspective eagles will still struggle. To me the best eagles midfielder of all time is Mikel and not Okocha , Mikel is two in one player both defensive and attacking midfielder.
Was is it not series of poor results that made NFF to sack Rohr ?
Ah, my dear @Specie, easy o! You sound like a man who swallowed a megaphone of arrogance and washed it down with a full cup of self-righteousness.
See ehn, people are entitled to their opinions — that’s why it’s called a forum, not Specie FM where only your voice must be heard. You don’t go around calling people stupid just because they don’t align with your sacred football gospel. Unless, of course, you’ve been newly appointed the Minister of Thought Regulation and Public Agreement.
Let’s be honest — this your “anybody who praises Rohr must be damn stupid” line is so disrespectful and it’s exactly why philosophical people say, “a loud mind rarely listens.” Rohr may not be everyone’s cup of zobo, but to deny his impact entirely is like saying a man who built a house did nothing because someone else later painted it. The man did his bit, secured a world ticket, qualified us for two AFCONs and took us to the semis of the one he took us too. We were not drawing every Dick and Harry at home, even though there were a few unparalleled results like the ones against CAR and Serra Leone . The man gave us structure at a time when we were driving blind — like a car speeding downhill without brakes, headlights, or even a steering wheel. Rohr may not have been flashy, but at least he got us moving in a straight line instead of doing endless circles of confusion.
And please, let’s not deceive ourselves as if Mikel and Victor Moses were some kind of divine amulets that magically made Rohr look smart. I’m not saying they didn’t play their part; they did. But If coaching was that easy, half the uncles in your local viewing centre would’ve won the World Cup by now. Rohr simply worked with what was available — no jazz, no miracle — and even when his key men left, he still kept the team respectable. Not perfect, but far from disgraceful. And by the way, are Mikel and Moses hiding somewhere in that Benin squad currently topping our World Cup qualifying group and that even flogged us in Abidjan last year? Or is Rohr still using their ghost versions to win matches?
You said “we need a sound coach that can tactically change the phase of the Eagles”? Bro, we’ve had about three since Rohr, and somehow the “phase” is still in flight delay mode. Abi the tactics don turn to tactics soup?
And yes, we kicked Rohr out because we claimed the Super Eagles were playing “ugly football” and letting minnows toss us around. But be honest — since he left, what exactly have we achieved? Has our football suddenly become a Picasso painting? Or have the so-called minnows stopped using us for practical training? We’ve been spinning in circles like a car that lost its GPS, yet we’re still blaming the last mechanic who fixed the puncture. Meanwhile, that same “mechanic,” Rohr, is cruising comfortably on top of our World Cup qualifying group with Benin — and to add insult to irony, he even beat us in Ivory Coast. Life, my brother, truly has a PhD in wicked humour.
So before you call anyone “stupid” for giving Rohr his flowers, just remember — sometimes, wisdom lies in admitting that the man you chased away knew how to make jollof even if he burned a few grains at the bottom.
Now, let’s argue like football lovers, not like philosophers of insult. Because, at the end of the day, even if Rohr didn’t win us a trophy, at least he won us some respect.
What did Rohr achieve after the exit of Mikel and Victor Moses…???
What a stupid question….LMAOoooo.
Please how many tournaments did we attend after Mikel and Victor Moses left with Rohr in charge……? 12 tournaments right……? LMAOOooo
Well to answer your stupid question, we qualified for the 2023 AFCON with TWO GAMES……YES TWO GAMES to spare in a 4 team group….i.e. we qualified by matchday 4
His next assignment was the 2022 WCQ, and there to we topped our group from day 1 to day 6 finishing with 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss.
So what “achievements” are you looking for…..?
Rohr should have organized AFCON and World Cup for himself and won them to please simpletons like you abi…? LMAoooo
Let me ask this question. Who is the creative midfielder we have playing anywhere in the world? Im pretty sure the answer is we don’t have him and therein lies our problem. Its actually been a Nigerian football problem going all the way back to the 80s until Okocha came along. That era produced our best playmaking midfielders that all complimented each other. Then came Mikel whom it took a while to actually blossom. Before his blossoming around 2012 or so, super eagles looked listless in the middle, filled with tacklers and runners like dickson etuhu and the likes. From 2012 until Mikel’s retirement, that coincides with the most recent best spell in super eagles play and results
Rohr did not achieve anything in his tenure with Nigeria.
Drew 1-1 with Brazil.
Beat Argentina 4-2 sans Messi.
Beat Cameroon 4-0 in Uyo. Hugo Broos has still not forgiven him for that
humiliation.
Beat Zambia home and away.
Beat Lewandowski and Poland 1-0 in their backyard.
Won an Afcon bronze.
Qualified us for the 2018 mundial and the 2019 Afcon with games to spare. Our calculators gathered dust due to lack of use. I forgot where I kept mine. I didn’t need it. Unlike now. It’s always with me. I even have it with me when I go to sleep!
We lost some matches, notably the loss to CAR at home. And the 4-4 draw to Sierra Leone was disappointing. But all things considered, given the above data. CAN WE IN ALL HONESTY SAY THAT ROHR ACHIEVED NOTHING WITH NIGERIA?
No honest person will arrive at that conclusion.