Rwanda head coach Adel Amrouche rued his team’s lack of fighting spirit following their 2-0 home loss to Nigeria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers on Friday, Afrosport reports.
The defeat was the first time the Super Eagles overcame the Amavubi on Rwandan soil at the fourth attempt. It was also their first win of the qualifiers and put their qualification hopes back on track.
Amrouche now wants his team to move on from this loss and move on to the next game against Lesotho on Tuesday.
“We gifted them two goals. Imagine conceding a goal in the 10th minute, and I had to change my game plan,” he said.
“My players lacked fighting spirit. I hate to lose. I am not a loser.
“What hurt me most is that the president of the nation [Paul Kagame] was there. Look at the fans who came to support us. If some of the players don’t improve, they will go because new players are coming.
“That is football, we have lost. We must quickly forget about it and get a win on Tuesday against Lesotho.”
Reflecting on the game, Rwandan defender Ange Mutsinzi stated: “I think they [Nigeria] came strong, and they wanted to win. They deserve it, but they have a good team and good strikers.
“We have quality also, but we won the last game, and they won this game, who knows the next game.”
Igice cya mbere mu
#RWANGA#WCQ2026
— Rwanda FA (@FERWAFA) March 21, 2025
The defeat against Nigeria was Rwanda’s second in this qualification series which saw them drop to third in the Group C standings behind South Africa and Benin while they are one point ahead of the Super Eagles who moved up place up to fourth.
