AFCON 2025: Win Against Botswana Gives Benin Hope -Rohr

AFCON 2025: Win Against Botswana Gives Benin Hope -Rohr

Ibrahim Lateef

Gernot Rohr gave his reaction to Canal+ Sport following Benin's 1-0 victory over Botswana at the 2025 African Cup of Nations in Morocco, reports BSNSports.com.ng.

The former Super Eagles coach hailed the win as highly symbolic for the Cheetahs in their bid for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Rohr emphasised the unprecedented nature of the result.

 "We're happy, it's a historic victory because Benin had never won a match in the Africa Cup of Nations during its four previous appearances. This is the first time, so we're very happy," he declared.

This success puts the Cheetahs back in contention in a tough group and rekindles their hopes of qualification before their final match against Senegal.

Beyond the result, Rohr highlighted the mindset and performance of his team.

 "It gives us hope of getting out of this difficult group. It will obviously be complicated, but my team showed some great things in terms of both our play and morale," he emphasized.

The German coach also addressed the context of the first match against DR Congo, which was marred by VAR-related incidents.

 According to him, this episode did not have a lasting negative impact on his players.

"It was tough against DR Congo, with the VAR malfunction preventing us from getting a penalty, but my players put that behind them and played good football against Botswana," he explained.

Finally, Rohr acknowledged a more cautious end to the match from his men, without criticising them.

 "At the end, they dropped back a little too much for my liking, but they wanted to defend this first victory so badly that we have to forgive them," he concluded.