By Kayode John
Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, has said the team is in Rwanda to pick all the three points in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers on Tuesday.
The Eagles kick-started their campaign with a win 3-0 over Benin Republic last Saturday, to put an end to their winless run since the end of the 2023 AFCON in February.
On their part, Rwanda faced Libya in their opening group game last week, but could only secure a draw against the North African side, with the game ending in a 1-1 draw last Wednesday.
Playing in front of the home fans, the Amavubis will be seeking their first victory of the qualifiers against Nigeria, with whom they also share Group C of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Speaking during the pre-match press conference today, Troost-Ekong maintained that the players are determined to keep the winning momentum.
The 31-year-old Al-Kholood centre-back emphasised that the Eagles would not take Rwanda for granted after the victory against Benin Republic.
He said the players are delighted to have interim coach, Augustine Eguavoen, who is in his fourth stint with the senior national team, back in the saddle.
“The game against Benin was good for us. It is going to be very different. You can’t compare Benin Republic and Rwanda, and it is going to be a new challenge separately, and the game away from home, it is going to be different,” he stated.
“Like you said before, it is going to be a great challenge for us and we want to keep the momentum going.
“Rwanda is a good team, we respect them. We played them already in the World Cup qualifiers, they are currently top of the group.
“We are looking forward to a good game. The boys are very highly motivated. We came here with one objective, to win the game.
“We are very happy to see coach Eguavoen back with us. We are one big family, we are complete now, maybe we are missing a few faces who are regulars in the team.”
