Rwanda’s national squad is being praised highly by Super Eagles defender William Troost-Ekong as the two teams trade tackles in today’s 2025 AFCON qualification Group D match at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.
After defeating Benin Republic 3-0 in Uyo last Saturday, Nigeria will play Rwanda in their second series match. The win came from a brace from 2024 Ballon d’Or nominee Ademola Lookman and another outstanding performance by the current African Player of the Year, Victor Osimhen.
Troost-Ekong believes it won’t be easy for the Super Eagles to win the series again after their flawless start at home on Saturday. The team wants to gain an early advantage in the group.
“There is nothing much to say other than that we are here for a purpose. Our target is the three points, and we have spoken among ourselves on the imperative of going hard for it from the first blast of the referee’s whistle.
“It is going to be a tough game because Rwanda have a good team and got a point from their first match. We must not relent throughout the 90 minutes.”
Rwanda forced Libya’s Mediterranean Knights to a 1-1 draw in Tripoli in their first game of the series last Thursday and have had more days to recover ahead of the clash against Nigeria.
The 3-0 win in Uyo marked Ekong’s return to the team following his heroics at the AFCON, and he has also described their perfect start in the qualifiers as their first step towards returning to the tournament in Morocco next year.
The 31-year-old was the tournament’s MVP at the 2023 edition played earlier this year in Ivory Coast.
Rwanda are also in Nigeria’s group in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and both teams are still going to clash in subsequent international windows.
