Benin Republic coach Gernot Rohr has voiced his frustration over the refereeing decisions during his team’s 4–0 defeat to Nigeria in Uyo earlier this month.
The loss dashed Benin’s hopes of qualifying for their first-ever FIFA World Cup.
In the October 14 match, Victor Osimhen scored a hat-trick for the Super Eagles, with Frank Onyeka adding a fourth goal. However, Rohr argued that two of Osimhen’s goals should have been disallowed.
Osimhen’s opener came after a perfectly timed run to intercept a through ball from Samuel Chukwueze, finishing calmly past the Benin goalkeeper. Yet, the former Super Eagles coach believes the striker was offside, a call he feels might have been overturned if VAR had been available.
The second disputed goal, scored just before the hour mark, saw Osimhen outjump his defender to power a header into the net. Benin players protested, claiming a foul on the defender in the lead-up, but the referee allowed the goal to stand.
“Our only regrets concern the first two goals conceded in Nigeria in the decisive match. These situations would have deserved, in my opinion, a different decision and would have allowed us to obtain more justice,” Rohr told CAFonline.
He added, “We finished the qualifiers with 17 points, the same as Nigeria, which is a significant confidence boost. We were the only team to beat Nigeria in Abidjan, while they remained unbeaten in all other matches.”
Both teams ended the qualifiers level on 17 points, but Nigeria secured second place due to a better weighted point tally following Eritrea’s withdrawal.
The Super Eagles will face Gabon in Morocco on November 13 in a crucial playoff semifinal. The winner will then take on either Cameroon or DR Congo for Africa’s sole spot in the intercontinental playoffs, where the final World Cup berths will be decided.
