CAN 2025: despite five suspended starters, Gernot Rohr ready to take on DR Congo

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·02 de dezembro de 2025

CAN 2025: despite five suspended starters, Gernot Rohr ready to take on DR Congo

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CAN 2025: despite five key starters suspended, Gernot Rohr ready to take on DR Congo

Vídeos OneFootball

Benin will kick off CAN 2025 facing a major setback: five key players will be suspended for the opening match against DR Congo. A true shockwave... but not for head coach Gernot Rohr.

Rohr stays calm: "We will respond as a team"

Junior Olaitan, Steve Mounié, Andreas Hountondji, Mohamed Tijani, and Marcel Dandjinou are paying the price for an accumulation of yellow cards picked up during qualification. As a result, they will miss Benin’s first match at CAN Morocco 2025 against the DR Congo Leopards. Confronted with the situation, the coach displayed remarkable composure. No complaints, no excuses. On the contrary, he emphasized the team’s identity:

I've always found great solidarity in my squad. Now is when that must shine through. There are five missing, and not just any five, but we will replace them collectively, with the necessary and vital fighting spirit.

Rohr knows DR Congo might think they have the upper hand. In fact, he’s using this to fire up his players’ pride:

Maybe the opponent will believe it’ll be easy against us... but I believe we’ll have a good group: determined, well-prepared, and aggressive in the best sense of the word.

Gros coup dur pour les Guépards du Bénin 💔 Pour son entrée en lice, Gernot Rohr devra faire sans 5 de ses titulaires ! Mounié, Olaitan, Andréas, Tijani et Dandjinou sont OUT pour cumuls de cartons. 😮‍💨
– domingo, 30 de novembro de 2025

"The replacements will be highly motivated"

The Franco-German tactician is now counting on those who will shoulder the heavy responsibility of stepping into the starting eleven. He sends them a strong message of trust:

The five players stepping in for the suspended starters will be highly motivated, just like the rest of the squad—even those on the bench.

While DR Congo may be favorites on paper, Gernot Rohr insists: Benin will not be mere spectators. Despite the absences, this first match must be a show of character. For him, it is a chance for new heroes to emerge and to prove that the Cheetahs never give up.