By Olalekan Okusan
Despite the disappointing 4-4 draw against Sierra Leone last Friday, Coach Gernot Rohr is emphatic that the Super Eagles will turn the tide against the Leone Stars in tomorrow’s reverse Group L 2021 AFCON Qualifier at the Siaka Steven Stadium in Freetown.
A visibly unhappy Rohr blamed his team’s complacentness for the shoddy second half display that saw them surrendered a four-goal lead to their more resurgent visitors, adding poor preparation and youth exuberance cost the team dear in Benin.
Remarked Rohr: “If the fans said they are vexed about the result, they are right and we are all vexed about the match. We cannot accept such a result when you lead 4-0 and you have 4-1 in the first half because we had the best period .
Read Also: Eagles wary of Leone Stars’ robust style, says Rohr
“So what happened that the team collapsed in the second half of the match. For me, what is sure was that we had a bad preparation because the players arrived very late while some arrived a few hours before the match.
“We had only one quality training together; physically and mentally, they lost energy in the second half.”
The 67-year-old former Bayern Munich defender also acknowledged the naivety of some of his players, adding they were not mentally strong to withstand the second half onslaughts by the Leone Stars.
He added: “I think mentally our young players are not strong enough for this kind of game. “The result was one point but you need another three points to qualify and we want to do it out there in Freetown as everybody is determined to do it.
“This is a good lesson to everybody – players, and coaching crew but we have to react and I know the players will fight out there in Freetown and they will go there to win the match.”
Leave a Reply