Akinkunle Bolarinwa
Former Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr and his Assistant Moussa Latoundji were saved from embarrassment at the last minute as the Cheetahs of Benin Republic rallied towards a last minute effort from Steve Mounie to restore parity for the home team against rampaging Waps of Rwanda.
Gilbert Mugisha of Rwanda scored early for the visitors in the first half after losing teen Hakim Sahabo to a red card and the Waps held on towards the end of the game before conceding after impressive performances in each half.
Mugisha lashed on a through ball and scored on the second attempt after the first kick was deflected on his path a few metres away from goal.
Rohr and Latoundji dug deep to bring in team's captain Stephane Sessegnon to combine with Steve Mounie to save their job from much criticism.
Gernot Rohr, a 69-year-old German who coached Gabon, Niger, Burkina Faso and Nigeria, succeeded local Moussa Latoundji last week.
Charged with turning around the fortunes of a team beaten by Senegal and Mozambique last June, Rohr cut a colourful figure in a green cap, red top, black pants and gleaming white shoes.
He will have been disappointed that Benin, who had a numerical advantage for 35 minutes, could not convert their second-half dominance into a victory.
The result suited neither team as Senegal and Mozambique top the group L with 6 and 4 points respectively while Rwanda is second from bottom with 2 points.
The Cheetahs are rock bottom with just a point and any hope of qualifying for the next AFCON in Ivory Coast will take a miracle to achieve.
Rwanda will now host the reverse fixture at a neutral ground in South Africa due to the ban placed on their home ground.
Comments
Post a Comment