Benin national team coach German Gernot Rohr said The Cheetahs will be up and running when they class against The Wasps of Rwanda in their reverse 2023 AFCON double header tie today at the Kigali Pelé Stadium otherwise known as the Nyamirambo Regional Stadium.
Rohr, the immediate past foreign manager of the Super Eagles, saw his wards played a pulsating 1-1 draw last Tuesday in a spirited second half display against the East Africans to secure their first point in the campaign after three rounds of matches.
“ It was important that we were able to stop the haemorrhage because they ( The Cheetahs) had lost their last four games (including the first two matches in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers,” Rohr told NationSport. “We had a good first match (against Rwanda in Cotonou) despite the fact that we had less than 48 hours to prepare the team like every other teams.
“Of course, it was my first match with a new team , we conceded early in the match and we had little problem with our striker Steve Mounie initially in the first half.
“But we showed a lot of character and a lot of fighting spirit especially in the second half and it was nice that he eventually scored the equaliser .
“The fans were happy because they saw a very good match against Rwanda in Cotonou and we can build on that performance for the future,”
Though the chances of the Beninese side is hanging in the balance, Rohr is upbeat that they can bounce back if they can pull a win in Kigali .
“ Of course, we are still in with a chance if we can win in Kigali and I know everybody is looking forward to a very good match in the return leg in Kigali.”