Rwanda head coach Thorsten Spittler was overjoyed after his team staged a dramatic comeback to defeat the Super Eagles of Nigeria 2-1 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.

Spittler also shared insights into how he motivated his players to achieve the historic victory.

Despite fielding a slightly weakened team, having already secured AFCON qualification, the Super Eagles took the lead in the 59th minute through Samuel Chukwueze. However, Rwanda responded with two quick goals to seal an unexpected win in Uyo.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Spittler revealed the instructions he gave his team to disrupt Nigeria’s rhythm.

“Don’t let them enjoy this evening, and that’s what we did,” Spittler said. “We gave them a hard time from the beginning, and you could see in the faces of the Nigerian players that they didn’t enjoy it.

They were asking the coach—’ Am I playing today? So other players (on the field) can rest on the bench?’—and that’s exactly the situation I wanted to create.”

He emphasized that unsettling the Super Eagles was key to Rwanda’s strategy:

“This is the base for having a chance against Nigeria.”

Building Momentum for World Cup Qualifiers

Looking ahead to the World Cup qualifiers, where Nigeria and Rwanda will face each other again in a two-legged encounter, Spittler expressed confidence in his team’s ability to maintain their form.

“My players now have a reason to believe in themselves,” he stated. “If you can beat Nigeria on their home ground, it gives you confidence. For sure, other teams will respect us, but we still have to play and win those matches.”

While Rwanda sits at the top of the group with seven points from four games, Nigeria’s qualification campaign has faltered. The Super Eagles are winless in the World Cup qualifiers, drawing three matches and losing one.

With both teams set to meet again, Spittler’s side will aim to build on this momentum, while Nigeria faces the uphill task of turning their fortunes around to keep their World Cup dreams alive.