Rohr Proud of Osimhen’s Growth, Reminds Fans He Gave Striker First Eagles Call-Up
Enobong Ernest
Dailysports's expert
Nigeria’s 4-0 demolition of Benin on Tuesday has resurrected their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification hopes, with Victor Osimhen leading the charge. The prolific striker netted a sensational hat-trick – his third for the national team. This moved the Super Eagles to second place in the group standings with 17 points.
The resounding victory came against a familiar face – Benin’s coach Gernot Rohr – who previously managed the Nigerian side. Following the match, Rohr reminded reporters that he was the first to give Osimhen a Super Eagles call-up.
"I remember when I brought Osimhen in the team, he was 17, here in our first game against Tanzania, and he was already in our selection," Rohr stated. That first call-up for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier came in September 2016, just four months before Osimhen’s 18th birthday.
Rohr expressed mixed feelings about the striker’s star performance: "so I'm very happy to see him like that, but I'm not happy he did it against me." He added, “But I hope he can do it in the playoffs for your country which I love.”
For Benin, the defeat was a painful end to their World Cup dream. "Today we are a little bit disappointed because the dream to go to the World Cup is finished," Rohr admitted, adding that winning in Nigeria was always going to be "something very difficult," especially with several key players missing.
Despite the loss, the coach praised his squad: "I'm proud because they did so well in these qualifiers for the World Cup, and we could hope until the last game today to go there... It's a young team still learning." Osimhen’s hat-trick takes his national goal tally to 29 in 44 appearances.
