Rwanda head coach Frank Spittler is over the moon after bringing Amavubi back in the race for 2025 AFCON qualification but he was not happy with the turn up inside Amahoro Stadium during Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Benin. The German tactician slammed the fans who decided not to show up and support their team on their home ground after Benin thrashed them 3-0 in Abidjan. People must understand that we are a developing team, we cannot win all games. If you won't come to support us because we lost 3-0 then you are not a true fan. Maybe you can go and support Brazil or a play station team so that you can win all games, Spittler claimed. ALSO READ: AFCON 2025 Qualifiers: Improved Rwanda hold Super Eagles in Kigali He also thanked those who keep supporting Amavubi and assured them that better days are coming. I thank those who were able to come to support us. They play a key role in our victory. I can assure that this is our team, it is a good team and more success will come. 45 minutes that changed everything Amavubi were on the brink of missing out on AFCON 2025 qualification when Benin took the lead in the first half through Andreas Hountondji. However, Spittler’s halftime talk fueled players’ spirit to fight and resilience. It was a disappointing situation for the team, but I told them at halftime, 'We still have 45 minutes. Even if things go wrong, we fight until the last minute.' And that's exactly what they did, he said, highlighting Amavubi resilience. He kept in Innocent Nshuti despite struggling in the first half and the One Knoxville striker jumped to the occasion to level the scores in the 71st minute before captain Djihad Bizimana scored from the spot to compete a hard-earned comeback win that revived Amavubi’s hopes for a ticket to Morocco in November 2025. It was Rwanda’s first victory over Benin since 2012. It was also a tough but sweet result that Spittler attributed to fighting spirit and resilience. We fought until the last minute, and we deserved this win, the visibly relieved coach told the press in a post-match interview. The coach emphasized how his team’s collective fighting spirit made Benin nervous and it helped his players to take control of the game. When you fight like that, it pushes the other team down and gives you confidence. He also addressed the challenges of working with a smaller, less physically dominant team. Unfortunately, we’re not the biggest guys, but we make up for it with team spirit. This team is really a good team, and we can only do it together, he said. Rwanda sits third in Group D with 5 points while Benin are second with 6 points. Nigeria lead the standings with 7 points and one game in hand.
