Rwanda head coach Torsten Frank Spittler has said that his side is not a finished product yet and set a reminder to his players to improve even after Tuesday’s hard fought 1-0 win over Lesotho in Durban, South Africa in the ongoing World Cup 2026 Africa qualifiers.
A first half strike from new boy Jojea Kwizera was enough for Amavubi to beat Lesotho 1-0 at Moses Mabhida Stadium, hence retaining their top spot in Group C.
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Although Spittler was glad with the result, he wasn't impressed with his side’s style of play, especially during the first half, claiming that they made silly mistakes that could have cost them.
"I am very happy about the result, but I am not so happy about how we played the match. We started well in the first 10 minutes and, out of no reason, my players played some stupid balls and started panicking and wasted many ball that Lesotho could have capitalized," Spittler told the press in a post-match press conference.
"Until half time, it wasn't a good match for us. At recess, I told my boys to start playing football and stop kicking long balls, they tried to do it and we became much better."
The German tactician further emphasized that his team hasn't reached the standard he wants them to be.
"We had some chances to score another goal, Lesotho did not have many chances. In the end, we won, it takes time and it is a developing process we are in. I am happy for the three points," he noted.
"It is still a long way to go, it is nice to stay at the top until next year. There are more matches to play, we haven't reached the level I want us to play."
Asked about decisions to substitute goal scorer Kwizera and defender Emmanuel Imanishimwe who were impressive during the match, Spittler revealed that some of his players were exhausted and fresh legs had to come in.
"I replaced Jojea because he was looking a bit tired after a long travel from the United States. I brought in Samuel Gueulette who played well against Benin, he is a very promising player that I can use in different positions and he did a good job again.”
"Imanishimwe was injured and asked to be substituted. Nshuti was also tired that is why I brought in Gitego," explained.
After four match days, Rwanda sit top of Group C with 7 points, level with South Africa and Benin who are second and third on the table with an inferior goal difference. Lesotho (5 points), Nigeria (3 points) and Zimbabwe (1 point) complete the standings in fourth, fifth and sixth places respectively.