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After playing 11 games in charge of Benin, Gernot Rohr finally won his first victory on the pitch with a 1-0 victory over Rwanda on Day 3 of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Beyond the prospect of Benin’s clear improvement, this was more than just a simple win, it was a trigger.
The Black Series is finished
Benin had been waiting for liberation for a long time last Thursday in Felicia, Abidjan. Dodo Doku’s goal broke the Indian mark that the Benin team had never experienced. The qualifiers had been waiting for 36 months. Above all, the Smouha midfielder ended a streak of 15 consecutive games in all competitions without any success. (Not counting the goal he got on the green carpet against Rwanda in March 2023). The last time Benin won in an official match dates back to November 2021, when the team was still coached by Michel Dussouille. A 2-0 home win over Madagascar. Rohr unfortunately made history by becoming the coach who played the longest series of games before achieving the first success in ten games for the Cheetahs. It was also the first win for Benin since the name change in February 2022. Exit the Squirrels. Now we can say that the Cheetahs have started the machine, because in addition to winning the game, as in Amiens last March, the team continues to show undeniable progress and certainty in the game.
Click like it’s 2018
The taste of this victory had similarities with the victory over Algeria in Cotonou in October 2018. Besides the similarity of the rainy weather, there were many other similarities. The goal was scored by Doku, one of Rohr’s strong options in the match since his arrival more than a year ago. In 2018, goal scorer Sessi d’Almeida was recalled by Dussuyer after a long absence to overturn the General Mathieu Kérékou Stadium with a memorable service from Stéphane Sèssegnon. Also serving Doku was the “former” Jodrell Dossou. Six years later, as a transfer of power, the five survivors of this unified victory remain in the group. David Kiki and Saturnin Aragbe came off the bench, while Dossou, D’Almeida and Steve Meunier started the famous match. Benin’s almost agonizing victory against the Leopards finally set in motion Benin’s journey until a memorable quarter-final at the Egypt Cup in 2019. What if that game last Thursday was also a new trigger?
A group of people was completely liberated
Just like the solidarity shown locally, the Benin group also felt the second wind. The joyous scenes at the end clearly illustrated the liberation experienced by the group. When the final whistle sounded, an exhausted Imran Hassan collapsed to the ground. Proving that the future midfielder had given everything as well as his teammates. The crowd on the pitch followed the speech of Captain Mooney while all the players and staff gathered around his leader, a clear signal. To finalize this renewal, the match returned to the base camp that night and the group celebrated for a few more hours in an atmosphere of singing and dancing, with not even the staff left behind.
Géraud Vivami
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