‘There Is No Special Formula For Winning’ – Finidi George Says After Super Eagles Defeat To Benin

The Super Eagles of Nigeria head coach, Finidi George, has stressed that there is “no special formula for winning” after leading the team to suffer an unexpected 2-1 defeat at the hands of Benin Republic.

Finidi George, who spent over 20 months as the assistant coach of the Super Eagles, was expected to have it easy as the head coach since he is conversant with the team.

However, the former Enyimba of Aba manager has proven to be finding it difficult to come up with a winning strategy for the highly talented and star-studded Super Eagles squad.

Recall that when he served as the interim coach of the Super Eagles in March, he beat Ghana in an international friendly and then lost 2-0 to Mali in another friendly match.

Despite the defeat to Mali, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) deemed him fit for the permanent coaching role.

Under his watch as the team’s head coach, the Nigerian team came from behind to draw 1-1 with South Africa at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Friday, June 7.

As if that was not bad enough for Nigeria’s hope of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Finidi George and his boys allowed Benin Republic to come from behind to defeat them 2-1 in Abidjan.

After the defeat, coach Finidi George said: “There is no special formula for winning, we have to see how we can get the best out of the players.

“Everybody must be committed and with that commitment, I believe we will win games and if we can win games, the battle will still be there. We can’t throw in the towel because we have only three points, we have to find a way to get these players back in a way they can perform.”

Note that the Super Eagles of Nigeria are currently sitting in the 5th spot out of 6 teams in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They are four points away from first placed Benin Republic.