Match Day LIVE .
Match Week 9 (World Cup Qualifiers Group Stage ,Group C.
Nigeria vs Benin Republic
Venue – Godswill Akpabio Stadium , Uyo. Nigeria
Date – October 14, 2025 .
Time – 5 pm, UK.
The decider match is today , we hope it’s going to be A Good Tuesday and Not A Black Tuesday for Nigeria when the Super Eagles welcomes , the Cheetahs of Benin Republic in the final qualifying Group C games for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the Goodwill Akpabio Stadium , Uyo, Nigeria
The Super Eagles must win today for a place in the Mundial in North America , then wait for the result of the second group game , South Africa vs Rwanda , as their faith is out of their hands for qualification .
The Super Eagles journey for qualification have been a very bitter one , with missed opportunities and costly draws , that has made their qualification hanging in the balance at the moment .
If I must say , the present venue for the World Cup matches , Godswill Akpabio Stadium have not wished the Super Eagles well on their way to the last World Cup in Quatar 2022 , which they did not qualify and the present 2026 World Cup qualifications and other matches as well .,for a very long time , losing crucial matches to minnows , the authorities in Nigeria should have changed the venue a bit to know exactly where our problems are coming from. That’s enough hand writing on the wall , rather they still insisted on Uyo stadium
The recruitment of the current head Coach of the Super Eagles , Chelle from Ivory Coast is also questionable , meanwhile the man we let go of , Genet Rohr , in charge of our opponents , the Cheetahs of Benin Republic , is doing well , having changed their fortunes within a short time , are issues the Nigerian Football Federation should have addressed properly before now ,
It seems that we have gone the wrong way to satisfy the whims and caprices of some Political Jobbers who seem to be looking for crumbs to eat ,as usual .
The Eagles missed the Mundial in Quartar in November ,2022., losing the ticket to Ghana , few would have imagined that the Super Eagles facing the possibility of missing out to a back to back World Cup. again
After their debut in 1994, The Super Eagles have not failed to qualify for the consecutive editions of the Mundial.
Eric Chelle s side , the Super Eagles, sit tight on the third position with 14 points from nine games , they won three drew five and lost one in Group C as they head for the final match today
The Eagles need a two goal win today to top the Group , even if South Africa win ,against Rwanda , the two goals aggregate will take us to the play offs , through there may be stiff oppositions in the play offs with the caliber of National teams that have already qualified for it from other groups ,
They Super Eagles have scored 11 goals and conceded eight in a very disappointing qualifying rounds so far in their history of World Cup qualifiers , Africa Zone .
Their fate is out of their hands , in a campaign riddled with late collapses and unforced errors , looks much to be desired .
Nigeria can still make it if they put their acts together early enough in today’s proceedings and avoid forced and unforced errors as they need 2 goals with a straight win to oust or unseat both Benin Republic and South Africa from the first position .
The political aspect of the match should also be looked into , if the authorities in Nigeria play the usual board room politics well , we will qualify , we have the where withal to do that . other things being equal.
The Cheetahs of Benin Republic are in the brink of History if they secure a win against the Super Eagles this evenng , they top Group C with 17 points from.nine games having won five drew two and lost two , scoring 12 goals and conceding seven with a resilient defence and Pukka play from their attackers and midfielders that made them to be in contention till now .
Benin Republic beat Rwanda 1-0 in the last match , goal from Tosin Aiyegbe a result that took them to the top of the table in Group C.
The Cheetahs have become one of the surprise packages in this world Cup qualifiers ,defying expectations and taking advantage of South Africa fielding an ineligible player ,,to top the group , under the management of Gnet Rohr , who managed Nigeria between 2016 and 2021
Rohr was in charge too when the Cheetahs defeated Nigeria 2-1 , in June 2024 and the loss of the Eagles during this qualifying campaign and the first time too Benin Republic has beaten Nigeria , in eight meetings , six wins and one draw .
The result adds an l extra layer of intrigue to today’s hostilities in Nigeria .
Ola Aina and Ademola Lookman both paying in the EPL and Italian Serie A will not be available for today’s make or mar encounter , Ola had a hamstring injury against South Africa while Lookmon have a double yellow in their match against Lesotho last time out .
Out of Favour , Alex Iwobi will as usual play a key role in the mid field pack ,despite fans ,questioning his contribution lately in the game , but he gave a good account of himself against minnows Lesotho ,spreading passes accurately .the Fulham man s consistency and creativity have made him the heart of the engine room or midfield pack in the attacking transition of the Super Eagles .
As usual Victor Osimehn leads the attacking options for Nigeira with three goals during this qualifiers , together with new discovery , Tolu Arokodare , from the flanks will be the diminutive as well as creative midfield maestro , Moses Simon of Nice of France and Samuel Chkwueze
In the defence , William Troost Ekong who redeemed his image after scoring an own goal against Nigeria in South Africa scored a goal via penalties against Lesotho leads the defence with Calvin Bassey of Fulham ,
While Stanley Nwabali will be in between the sticks for the hostilities .
For the Cheetahs of Benin Republic , they will be led in the attack by Steve Monunie , together with Jodel Dossou.
The rear men remain unchanged , comprises of Tamimou Ouorou, Olivier Verdin , Mohammed Tijani ,and Yoham Roche
Goal tender and shot stopper against the Eagles is still Marcel Dandjinou .
Predictions –
Under intense pressure, due to their recent struggle s and politicking in the Nigerian Federation , desperation can create defiance .
No matter how we look at it , Nigeria is at home and this is the last match for them to qualify for the World Cup 2026 , every stone will be unturned against the Cheetahs to make sure the Super Eagles secures a place in the Mundial .
Benin Republic may have shown enough resilience , enough should be enough this evening at Uyo and a straight win with a maximum u and unapologetically three to four goals to dismiss the minnows who have shown enough resilience till this stage of the qualifiers . yet Nigerian home advantage and , football prowess and attacking fire power when it matters most should prove decisive .
Nigeria 3- 0 Benin Or 4-0.
Happy Viewing and Happy Sunday
Uche Anaba .
Uchefreetips 2025 (C).
Email -ucheanaba@gmail.com
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https://worldbeatx.com/
