Rwanda are in a celebration frenzy after holding Nigeria to a barren draw in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Group D qualifier at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali on Saturday.
The team agreed that facing three-time African champions Nigeria was a daunting task, but the presence of President Paul Kegame at the stadium, his first time in eight years, was the wind in their sail, as they put up a stiff resistance to emerge unscathed from the encounter.
Goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari, who pulled off a string of brave saves to deny Nigeria to cart home the Man of the Match award, said that his teammates have shown the Super Eagles what they are capable of after the stalemate.
“We’re now big players who are now playing in Europe and other big leagues, so the only goal we can have is to win many matches. This game was very competitive against Nigeria, but this draw is a good result, and we should motivate ourselves to do better,” said Ntwali in a post-match interview reported by Rwandan outlet The New Times.
The Kaizer Chiefs new keeper added, “We’ve got a good squad ready to do better. I think all of the players are ready for every game ahead, and that performance against Nigeria will give us more confidence and self-belief that we can actually go on to win matches.”
With a pool of hot talents that travelled to Kigali, Nigeria came into the game as hot favourites to get easy three points. Ntwali was in his elements as he saved his side on numerous occasions with great stops to deny the likes of Ademola Lookman, Moses Simon, Victor Osimhen, and Victor Boniface from scoring.
Amavubi were playing their first international match at the renovated Amahoro Stadium since January 6, 2022, when they lost 2-0 against Guinea in a friendly match.
It was Ntwari’s first match since he became Amavubi’s number one goalkeeper. While he was eager to impress on his debut international appearance at the ultra-modern facility, he revealed that his performance was also motivated by President Paul Kagame’s return to local football eight years since he last attended Amavubi’s home game.
“It was my first game at Amahoro Stadium, so I didn’t want to lose that game. Everyone in us wants to prove that we have improved, and our coach is helping us a lot.” Ntwali noted
“To know that our president is coming was also another motivation for us. We want to build from there, and we believe this is the start; the best is yet to come,” he added.
Nigeria now sit in pole position of the group with four points, while Rwanda are third with two points from two games.
Their head coach, Frank Spittler, shares in Ntwali’s sentiment as he commended the Amavubi for a superb performance against Nigeria.
“I’m happy with the result. The boys gave everything on the pitch, and we showed resilience throughout the game,” he told the press in post.
“Ntwari was incredible today. His saves were crucial, and he gave us a chance to stay in the game. We lack a top-level striker with Rwandan roots who can come in and make a real difference. That’s something we need to address moving forward,” added the German tactician, who looks to call time on his career in November.
