Super Eagles’ coach, Gernot Rohr is heaping blame on the late arrival of his players to camp in Benin City for their inability to keep hold of a four-goal advantage against Sierra Leone in Friday’s 4-4 draw at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium and they were eventually forced to a 4-4 draw, megasportsarena.com reports.
The Franco-German tactician admitted it was a huge setback and disappointing out for the squad, but he reckoned that they had it coming once the team could training together fully only once before the game, which was the first leg of a double-clash between both sides in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
As his side step up preparations for the second leg this Tuesday in Freetown, Rohr also put a finger on bad luck, which he said accounted for injuries that forced Victor Osimhen, Leon Aderemi Balogun and Samuel Chukwueze out of Friday’s game, while Emmanuel Dennis Bonaventure could not be dressed because he also copped a knock in training.
The gaffer conceded that all these factors accounted for the inability of his young players to cope with pressure mounted on them by their opponents and allowed The Leone Stars stage a dramatic second half comeback that saw them draw the game 4-4.
He, however, concluded with a promise that the Eagles will redeem their image in the reverse fixture this Tuesday, even as he declared that he expects all the players to react positively and ensure they overcome any psychological downturn form to the disappointing draw in Benin City and go all out for victory in Sierra Leone.
Rohr lamented: “The facts are that we had very bad preparations, the players arrived very late, even in the evening before the match, so we had only one training as a team. Physically and mentally they lost energy in the second half.
“Our young players are not strong enough for this kind of games. At half time the players believed it was finished. Then came the injury of our main striker and then bad luck. We are all vexed about the result. It’s unacceptable.
“The first half was one of the best we had together, but the team collapsed in the second half. We need three points to qualify and we want to do it in Freetown. We are all determined, we will speak about the mistakes and I am sure they will react because I know my team and what they can do.”
