Sports
Rohr Admits S’ Eagles Poor Performance Against Burundi
Super Eagles’ Head Coach, Gernot Rohr, has admitted that his team struggled to impose their style of play on Burundi during the team’s group opener in Alexandria.
Nigeria dominated possession in the early stages but the Burundians were the ones with the very clear chances. However, Ahmed Musa’s introduction for captain Mikel Obi quickened Nigeria’s pace and race towards goal.
Nothing was delivered until Ighalo converted a clever pass by Ola Aina to put the Itamba to the sword.
“They were well organized, difficult to break down, unbeaten in the qualifiers in a group that had Gabon and Mali and that speaks a lot about their level of play”, Rohr said after the game.
So many players were sick, in the last two weeks, there was virus, half of the team didn’t train.
“It’s good to win the first match, it’s never easy, the second match is also going to be difficult but I hope we can do six matches more at this tournament” Rohr concluded.
Nigeria will now play Guinea on Wednesday for a place in the Round of 16 of the 2019 African Cup of Nations.
Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt contingent, comprising players, technical crew, backroom staff, and officials, depart the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos State on Wednesday, bound for Kinshasa, DR Congo.
The team is set to face FC Les Aigles du Congo in the first-round first-leg match of the CAF Champions League.
This was contained in a press release signed by the media officer of the club, Charles Mayuku and made available to Tidesports on Wednesday.
He said that the highly anticipated match is scheduled to take place at the 80,000-capacity Kinshasa-Complexe Omnisports Stade des Martyrs on morrow with kickoff slated for 3:30pm.
According to the statement the encounter marks the first-ever meeting between both sides in any competition, adding that an air of excitement and unpredictability to the fixture.
“As the Pride of Nigeria embarks on this crucial journey, the team is determined to return with a decent result that will set them up favorably for the second leg on Sunday, 28th September” the statement said.
The new rankings, released via FIFA’s official X handle on Thursday, reflect the team’s continued struggles under Coach Eric Chelle amid a stuttering 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
This marks a second consecutive decline after the Nigerian side dropped from 43rd to 44th in August on the back of poor outings in recent international matches.
Despite Nigeria’s setback, several African teams made progress. Morocco remains the continent’s highest-ranked side, sitting 11th in the world after winning eight of their last nine matches. Senegal, Egypt, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire complete Africa’s top five.
Lesotho slipped to 153rd place, while Benin Republic, Nigeria’s upcoming opponent, climbed to 93rd. South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, who held the Super Eagles to a 1-1 draw in June, rose to 55th, strengthening their bid for World Cup qualification.
Zimbabwe had the biggest slide down the ranking table, dropping nine places to 125th position in the world.
The rankings highlight Nigeria’s struggle to regain form on the global stage as key rivals continue to surge ahead.
Similarly, the Super Falcons of Nigeria remain 36th best in the world], while the Spanish female national team replaced the USA at the top of the women’s ranking.
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