Rwanda’s head coach, Thorsten Spittler, expressed his delight after his team staged a stunning comeback to secure a 2-1 victory over Nigeria’s Super Eagles on Monday evening at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
Despite Nigeria fielding a slightly weakened squad, the Super Eagles initially took the lead through Samuel Chukwueze in the 59th minute. However, Rwanda’s Jimmy Mutsinzi and Innocent Nshuti struck within fifteen minutes of conceding, earning the East Africans their first-ever win over Nigeria.
An ecstatic Spittler reflected on the achievement during his post-match conference: “I’m happy because we came, we saw, we conquered. It’s almost seen as an impossibility for any team to beat the Super Eagles, with some of Africa’s best footballers, on their home soil.
“Check the FIFA rankings! The Super Eagles are ranked around 30th, while we, Rwanda, are somewhere in the 160s. That’s a huge gap. Yet, we stood our ground and achieved this feat. It’s a big plus for us, and I’m proud of the players.”
The loss adds to Nigeria’s struggles in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. The Super Eagles remain winless, with three draws and one loss in four matches. Meanwhile, Rwanda leads the group with seven points from four games.
Spittler and Nigeria’s head coach, Augustine Eguavoen, are set for another encounter in the next international break, with Nigeria needing to bounce back to revive their World Cup hopes.
