Bafana draw better than losing – Finidi
Finidi George
…says Rohr should be afraid
Nigeria’s head coach, Finidi George, has reacted with optimism after the Super Eagles were held to a 1-1 draw by South Africa in matchday three of the World Cup qualifiers at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Friday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
While acknowledging the team’s sluggish start and the disappointment of not securing a win, Finidi praised the team’s improved performance in the second half.
“We entered the game a little bit sloppy, we didn’t create much but I think in the second half, immediately we scored that goal, we took over. They had a couple of moments when they threatened a bit but we had all the shots, all the chances to have won it. Overall, I think it was not a bad second half,” he said.
“In the first half, I felt we should have done a little bit better or entered the game a little bit quicker. It didn’t happen so we conceded that goal. The players reacted so well in the second half. It’s not the best result we wanted, but a draw is better than losing and we will get our heads up and see how we can win the next match.”
The draw marks Nigeria’s third consecutive stalemate in the qualifiers, leaving them in a precarious fifth position out of six teams in Group C.
Looking ahead, Finidi acknowledged the pressure saying, “I’ve said it before, you get three results in football; you lose, draw or you win. Today is a day where we needed that win and we got to draw, not happy with the draw but the performance in the second half was really outstanding.”
With a crucial match against the Benin Republic looming on Monday, the coach knows victory is essential as Nigeria’s hope of a seventh appearance at the Mundial is now in severe danger.
For many analysts, the draw against South Africa leaves Nigeria with a lot to do in the remaining sets of qualifiers games. They will need to find a way to convert their chances and pick up victories if they are to secure their place at the World Cup.
The 53-year-old has said that the Benin Republic head coach, Gernot Rohr, should be scared of the Super Eagles when both teams clash in Abidjan.
Rohr was in charge of the Super Eagles for about six years before he was sacked in December 2021. The German will hope to mastermind the Super Eagles defeat in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
The former Bordeaux manager’s knowledge of the Super Eagles is expected to be vital for the Squirrels but Finidi has said that Rohr should be afraid of the Super Eagles, not the other way round.
“That doesn’t change anything. If he knows the players, doesn’t know the players, it’s Benin, the players that he had before they are still around, that means he should be fearful. If he knows the players so well and he has coached them, he should know they are a bunch of good players that we have in the national team,” Finidi said.
“I’ve always said it, I want to see attractive football and you must risk if you want to win, you can’t just sit back and feel the goals will come, you have to enforce it which we did in the second half but unfortunately it didn’t happen. We should repeat the second half performance against South Africa in Abidjan. That will give us a positive result that will change the narrative and that’s what we want to do on Monday.”
