Benin Republic head coach Gernot Rohr has acknowledged that his side’s round-of-16 encounter against seven-time champions Egypt at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations will be a stern test, but insists the underdogs cannot be ruled out.
Rohr’s men will be aiming to reach the AFCON quarter-finals for only the second time in their history, while Egypt, who were eliminated at this stage in the previous edition in the Ivory Coast, will be determined to improve on their last outing.
With star names such as Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush, and former Stoke City defender Ramadan Sobhi in their ranks, the Pharaohs are favourites on paper to progress to the quarter-finals.
However, Rohr believes that while Egypt boasts some of the biggest stars at the tournament, AFCON remains a competition where reputations count for little and underdogs often thrive.
More Read
“We are now in the Nations Cup round of 16, and we will face Egypt,” the Franco-German tactician told reporters on Thursday.
“It will be a tough game against a great team. We know Egypt’s stars.
“But we also know the other players, not just Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush,” he added. “The match will be very difficult for us, but as the underdogs, we still have our chances.”
Benin have also been boosted ahead of the fixture by the return of midfielder Sessi D’Almeida, who has recovered from the hamstring injury he sustained during their second group match against Botswana.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
