Rwanda head coach Frank Torsten Spittler has said there was no shame losing against Djibouti, currently ranked 192nd globally, although he admitted that the result was disappointing at some point. Amavubi suffered a 1-0 shock defeat at the hands of Djibouti in the first leg on Sunday, October 27 at Amahoro Stadium, a result that raised question marks on the German tactician’s tactics. Spittler admits his side was shambolic in the first half and went on to lose the match. He, however, said the result should not leave Amavubi ashamed despite the fact that it was their first ever loss to Djibouti. “Is it a shame? No, for sure, it is not a shame. If our team would be Brazil, then it would have been a shame,” Spittler told the press in a post-match interview. “Our team is not Brazil and we shouldn't underrate Djibouti because they don't have any foreign players anywhere. I just think the result is disappointing, and we can do much better on Thursday.” Despite the loss, Spittler gave assurance that his side will bounce back from Sunday’s shock loss and eliminate Djibouti and sail through the next round of the 2025 CHAN qualifiers. It is not about winning 5-0 or 10-0, every game is difficult and that is what happened today but we can go through.” ALSO READ: CHAN 2025 Qualifiers: Five players who can decide Djibouti vs Rwanda tie It was generally not a good match, but it is the first leg, the second leg is on Thursday that is the good thing. I think, If I compare the two teams, we have a good chance to go through so we will work hard for the second leg. The German tactician further hinted that there will be changes in his lineup ahead of the game on October 31. There will be some few changes in the team ahead of the second leg, is a game we are going win. Gilbert Mugisha is likely to start and some new faces will be introduced, he added. As Rwanda prepares for the second leg, Spittler summoned four new players to join his squad on Monday as he looks to eliminate Djibouti and ease the pressure mounting on him. The quartet include midfielders Sadjat Niyonkuru (Etincelles) and Roger Kanamugire (Rayon Sports) as well as forwards Onesme Twizerimana (Vision FC) and Mubarak Nizeyimana (Marines). The winner of the Amavubi-Djibouti tie will face either Kenya or South Sudan in the next stage of the qualifiers.
