The Most Important Match in Benin History

I won’t claim to be a historian of Benin football but I believe the title of this post to be true. Benin have been long time minnows of African football. Only in the last 5-6 years has that begun to change. Benin made the Nations Cup for the first time in 2004. They lost all three matches. They made it for the second time in 2008. Again they lost all three matches.

They look for the first time like a side capable of challenging for a World Cup berth. To do that they will have to grab a massive road win. What would surely be one of their best road wins ever if not the best. The opposition are the talented but admittedly overrated Malians. Mali are a side that best names like Kanoute, Keita, Sissoko and Diarra, though not all those players are available. They are also a side that have never done anything of significance before. They made a timid exit at the Nations Cup in 2008 though not before scraping past Benin. They were never for a minute challenged for a place in Germany in 2006. The best Mali have done is make the quarterfinals at the 2004 Olympics at the under-23 level as well as fourth place finishes at the 2002 and 2004 Nations Cup, one of those being at home. Recently they have fell flat of absurdly high expectations.

Still a win in Mali would be a huge accomplishment for Benin. A win is not essential, what Benin have to do is match Ghana’s result away to Sudan. I am expecting Ghana to claw through and grab a win in Omdurman. In that instance Benin will have to win in Mali in maybe their most important match ever. A win against Mali and Benin should push Ghana to the very end. Both sides have two homes matches in three after this weekends road fixtures. The penultimate fixture is Benin at home to Ghana in Cotonou. If Benin are within three points of Ghana coming into that match then that would officially become the biggest match in Benin history.

The goal is to get to that match within three points. That is why Sunday’s match agains Mali is of the uptmost importance. Can Omotoyossi and Sessegnon and the rest of Benin’s best ever generation of footballers get the job done?

I very much hope so and will give an optimistic 2-1 win to Benin to keep the pressure on Ghana.