Gernot Rohr has blamed bad preparation and inability of his young players to cope with the pressure for the Super Eagles dramatic second-half collapse that allowed Sierra Leone to stage a comeback and draw 4-4 in Benin Friday.
Home team Nigeria led 4-0 after half an hour only for Sierra Leone to fight back and draw 4-4 courtesy of a second-half blitz.
“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,” Rohr lamented.
“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 (Victor Osimhen) and then bad luck.”
He added: “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.”
Rohr said he expects the Eagles to react to the disappointing draw in Benin City with a win in Sierra Leone Tuesday.
“We need three points to qualify and we want to do it in Freetown,” he said.
“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.”
That’s very funny excuse. Would he say he read the match well enough to make the right subs at the right time? How about the thin midfield that he has all the time?