Former South Africa striker, Benni McCarthy has hailed the Super Eagles for teaching Benin Republic a lesson during the 2026 World Cup qualifying series.
McCarthy said he was pleased Nigeria turned up and beat Benin Republic 4-0 in the last group game of the qualifying series.
The defeat meant that Benin, who sat top of Group C going into the last round of fixtures, failed to qualify, with Nigeria going into the playoffs, while South Africa was handed automatic qualification.
Nigeria needed to score at least four goals to reach the playoffs and a Victor Osimhen hat-trick, alongside Frank Onyeka’s late strike provided that.
McCarthy told SportyTV, “I was at home in the UK and I was watching, keeping a really, really close eye…I was rooting for them and hoping that they would win and that Nigeria beat Benin.
“Because even if South Africa had won, if Benin beat Nigeria, South Africa is still out.
“I was pleased Nigeria taught Benin a lesson because it opened the door for us to walk through and qualify for the World Cup.”
McCarthy, South African all-time highest scorer with 31 goals, was in the squad beaten 1-0 by Nigeria in a 2010 World Cup qualifier.