Rwandan defender Ange Mutsinzi believes that the Super Eagles were able to beat them at the Amahoro Stadium because they were the hungrier side, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Super Eagles entered their 2026 World Cup Qualifiers fixture against Rwanda needing a win after picking just three points from their first three games in Group C. Recall that they lost to Benin and picked draws against Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and South Africa in their first four games of the series.
However, Nigeria put their past struggles behind them and got a well-deserved 2-0 win. Galatasaray star Victor Osimhen scored twice in the first half to seal the win for the three-time African champions.
After the game, Rwandan defender Mutsinzi, who played the entire game, stated that Nigeria won due to their hunger.
“I think they(Nigeria) came strong, and they wanted to win. They deserve it, but they have a good team and good strikers,” Mutsinzi stated. “We have quality also, but we won the last game, and they won this game, who knows the next game.”
#Rwanda defender Ange Mutsinzi reflects on his shirt swap with Victor Osimhen and the 2-0 home loss to #Nigeria in the 2026 World Cup qualifying. pic.twitter.com/Pip8k9h6cP
— Oluwashina Okeleji (@oluwashina) March 22, 2025
The win leaves Nigeria in fourth place in Group C of the World Cup Qualifiers, but they could climb as high as second if they beat Zimbabwe on Tuesday.
Eric Chelle has started well with the Super Eagles, but there's still a lot of work to be done
Eric Chelle won his first game in charge of Nigeria. But there are still some areas where the team needs to improve. They have to start creating more chances against small teams like Rwanda.
Also, the Franco-Malian coach needs to work on his player deployment. Some players might be more suitable to his system than others, so he has to find the missing links and clog them.
Nigeria play Zimbabwe next in Nigeria, and fans will not expect anything short of a victory due to the home advantage and the array of stars that Nigeria has.
