Rwanda head coach Torsten Spittler - Photo Ferwafa.
Rwanda head coach Torsten Spittler had discussed the importance of their final fixture of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Nigeria.
The Amavubi will seek to qualify for the 35th edition of the African tournament on the final day when they face the Super Eagles in a Group D contest at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
Rwanda complicated their qualification chances following a 1-0 defeat against Libya at Amahoro Stadium and they will now need to beat Nigeria and pray that Libya defeat Benin in Tripoli for them to stand a chance.
“It’s clear that if we must go to AFCON 2025, we’ll have to win here [against the Super Eagles],” said Spittler as quoted by Completesports.com. “So, that’s our mission here. I’m expecting an interesting match against Nigeria, and we’ll have to fight until the last minute.”
“We don’t know how seriously Nigeria will take the match now that they are already through, but I don’t think they’ll make it easy for us. It will be a very interesting game.”
On the defeat to Libya, Spittler said: “We’ve had some disappointing results in the last match, but for me, the important point is to develop our style of play significantly. This makes me proud of the team and the Federation. And we will have to wait to see what will happen tomorrow [Monday].
“I think this is our main approach. We will have to work as a team. Competing against your strikers in a one-on-one situation is nearly impossible. So, we have to organise ourselves and ensure that we always have two or three players against these guys [Eagles players]. Otherwise, it will be very difficult.
“It’s a matter of organisation, and I’m very hopeful that my team can do it because we’ve shown it in some matches.”
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