Rohr: Eagles Have Learnt Lessons from Defeat in London

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLIES FALLOUT

Technical Adviser of the Super Eagles, Gernot Rohr, insisted wednesday that his wards have picked up valuable lessons from the 2-0 loss to Serbia in the international friendly played at The Hive Stadium in London on Tuesday night.

Two second half goals from Fulham forward, Aleksandar Mitrovic, gave the Serbs victory on the night the three-time African champions were bereft in every department of the friendly.

The game was a dress rehearsal for Nigeria’s opening Group D match against Croatia, who play a similar style of football with the Serbs.

Coming just four days after the Super Eagles defeated Poland in their first warm up game in Wroclaw last Friday, the Franco-German gaffer insisted his wards have no reason to fret as no football team in the world wins all their games.

Media Officer of the team, Toyin Ibitoye revealed wednesday that Rohr rather commended the players for their efforts in the London friendly.

“Rohr commended the boys and urged them not to drop their heads because no football team in the world wins all their games,” Ibitoye stressed yesterday.

“The coach told the team they should learn from this defeat but not suck, but rather go back to their clubs and keep fighting.

“He said what was most important after such a loss is how you react, he said we have to bounce back.”

The Serbia loss was only the second in 14 games for the Eagles under Rohr’s watch.

Installed 20 months ago as Eagles coach, Rohr has won eight matches and drawn four.

Meanwhile, scorer of the two goals against Nigeria during the friendly, Mitrovic said yesterday that the Serbia national team fully deserved the win against Nigeria because they did everything their coach told them to do.

“Two goals, I scored another which was not counted but it’s the team that is more important,” Mitrovic told reporters after the game.

“It was a good match and good result for us. We played well and won which is the important thing for us. We did everything the coach asked us to do. We dominated the game and had total control.

” We were the better team and we deserved to win the game. Now, we go back to our clubs and we are all eager to re-assemble again because we know what is expected in Russia,” Mitrovic stressed.

After the 1-0 victory over Poland last Friday and this defeat to Serbia on Tuesday, Eagles next game in the pre-FIFA World Cup build-up is the send forth match against Democratic Republic of Congo in Nigeria on Monday, 28th May, to be followed by a prestige game against England’s Three Lions at Wembley five days later.