Former Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has described the on-going Africa cup of Nations (AFCON), Cote d’Ivoire 2023, as one of the most competitive in recent years, adding that there are still going to be many surprises along the way until the curtain is drawn on the continental soccer’s showpiece on February 12.
“My general impression about the tournament is very positive,” the erstwhile Bayern Munich defender told NationSports from Abidjan, where he’s on duty as a pundit for Ivory Tv. “We have seen good matches with lots of fantastic goals, as well as a lot of suspense and surprises, which are very good ingredients for this type of tournament.
“Of course, there have been many shocking results which are always very possible for any country in this type of event.
“For instance, the Ivory Coast lost their shape because, I think, the pressure was too much for them (as the hosts); and I also think the character of the team was not strong enough.
“The coach (Jean-Louis Gasset) didn’t have much experience about Africa before coming to the Ivory Coast, as such so it was not easy for him.
“Ghana’s performance was also a bit surprising too, but we can see that Ghana is becoming an older team and they have to leave the tournament.“
According to Rohr, one of the abiding lessons from Cote d’Ivoire 2023, is the fact that the gaps between the traditional big teams and the so-called minnows have been thinned down. He said the giants can no longer look down on the upstarts.
“There are no longer little teams and little opponents in African football,” he affirmed. “We have had teams that qualified through some difficult times to be at the AFCON and they were all very prepared.
“So, African football level is going higher and higher; and it is going to be difficult to win with large scores.”
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The Super Eagles may have scored just three goals in three matches to progress to the Round of 16, Rohr said it has not diminished coach Jose Peseiro’s credentials as one of the favourites still left in the competition.
“Nigeria came second from their group behind Equatorial Guinea, but I think the players did well. They beat the host team, which is not an easy thing to do,” he said. “I am happy for my former wingers Moses Simon, Samuel Chukwueze, and Osimhen, of course; they are doing well and the I hope Wilfred Troost- Ekong would come back for the next game.
“Though they needed a penalty, an own goal and a wonderful goal in the first game to go through, I think it’s all part of football, and I think they have a good opportunity to go all out against Cameroon.”
Incidentally, Rohr has the distinction of not losing to the much dreaded Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in three competitive meetings during his spell with the Super Eagles.
A Nigeria-Cameroon derby is about one of the fiercest in African football’s firmament, yet the Teutonic Rohr, who remarkably tamed the Indomitable Lions in two crucial Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers as well as a Round of 16 AFCON 2019 tie, believes the current Super Eagles under Portuguese Peseiro must gird their loins when both sides meet yet again at the iconic Président Félix Houphouët-Boigny stadium T tomorrow.
Nigeria and Cameroon have clashed at the Africa Cup of Nations seven times, with each team winning thrice and one game drawn. Cameroon won the final matches of the 1984, 1988 and 2000 AFCON tournaments, while the Eagles won the bronze-medal match 2-1 in 1992, defeated then Cup holders Cameroon 2-1 in the 2004 quarter-finals and won 3-2 in the Round of 16 in Egypt four years ago.
Both teams drew 1-1 in the group phase in 1988, with Samuel Okwaraji scoring a scorcher after only two minutes in Rabat and Roger Milla equalising with a header when the Andrew Uwe-led Nigerian defence thought they had kept him off-side.
Incidentally, both teams battled out the 1984 AFCON final at this same Président Félix Houphouët-Boigny stadium where Nigeria eventually lost 3-1 but Rohr reasoned the setting will be different tomorrow.
“We (Nigeria) beat (4-0) in the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifier in Uyo and drew 1-1 in Yaounde, and, of course, we were happy because we eliminated them from the Russia 2018,” Rohr further told NationSport. “The secret was having the same fighting spirit they have because they are a team capable of playing good football too like they did today (in their AFCON 2023 last Group C match) against Gambia, where they were down at 2-1 but eventually won at 3-2.
“They (Cameroon) have such a good spirit, and they did same at the last AFCON bronze medal match when they were down 3-0 against Burkina Faso, but they still won it via penalty shootout at the end of the match.
“So, the secret for the Super Eagles would be to do hard work and press them from the midfield and the secret also would be to take advantage of their goalkeeping crisis because (Vincent) Onana is giving them a lot of headache.
“But the biggest secret for the Super Eagles will be to maintain their solidarity and that could make the difference for them (Nigeria) against Cameroon.”
With the competition now down to 16 teams with eight heading for the quarter-finals, the experienced 70-year-old Rohr, who had previously handled Niger, Burkina Faso and Gabon, said AFCON Cup holders, Teranga Lions of Senegal, are looking like the team to beat as Cote d’Ivoire 2023 heads towards the finale.
Though the Sadio Mane-led side completed the preliminary group matches with a hundred percent record, Rohr called for caution still.
“The Senegalese are really looking like the team that is ready,” the former Bordeaux defender and coach further said. “Of course, they won all their group matches, but there could still be problems ahead for them
“I think also that Cape Verde have played very well at this tournament and I think we already saw what they can do in my last match (with Nigeria).
“We knew they have good players because they have good football school in Praia and with some players who were coming from either Portugal or Brazil. So, Cape Verde is also a very good team and I think they can also be one of the favourites.”
With the resumption of the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup later in the year, Rohr has predicted that there is going to be some spectacle in the race to pick the automatic Africa’s nine teams for the Mundial judging from the quality of teams at Cote d’Ivoire 2023.
“Of course there will always be surprises and I think anything is possible during the World Cup qualification,” Rohr, who qualified Nigeria for Russia 2018, warned. “Personally, the lessons I’m taking back to Cotonou for The Cheetahs from this 2023 AFCON is that football is becoming quicker and quicker, and that in this type of difficult conditions and hot weather, you must avoid playing individual football in order to play quality football, because football is not a one-man show.
“Only with team efforts, you can go through.
“We had both Senegal and Mozambique in our group during the AFCON 2023 qualifiers, and I’m happy they are doing very well at this competition.
“I am not surprised, and as we have seen, it’s not easy to go to the AFCON and it is not easy to win,” he noted.
