Rwanda boss Torsten Spittler has made a big admission following his side's shock victory over Bafana Bafana in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Tuesday afternoon.
The Amavubi head coach has admitted that the result on Tuesday came as a surprise to him, but added that he was in admiration of how quickly his players have adapted to his system following his appointment three weeks ago.
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The side ran out 2-0 victors in trying conditions featuring a waterlogged pitch after first-half strikes by Innocent Nshuti and Gilbert Mugisha helped the nation leapfrog South Africa to claim the top spot in Group C.
The two-goal win marked the country's first competitive victory since March 2021, and with the German coach having been appointed as recently as the beginning of this month, he did not expect things to turn out as they did on Tuesday.
"Frankly, I never expected it will be so fast, they have grabbed what I taught them," Spittler said in a post-match press conference, as per Nigerian publication The New Times
"I am surprised about the scoreline and how they played.
"I cannot say we are there yet because we won just one game.
"There is still more that my players need to learn."
He went on to heap praise on his standout performers at the Huye Stadium, including TS Galaxy shot-stopper Fiacre Ntwari.
"Olivier Niyonzima was marvellous today, he marshalled the midfield so well," he continued.
"I have a great captain in the person of Djihad Bizimana. He organised the team very well. He is my mouthpiece on the field and he tells the players what I want them to do.
"Also, our goalkeeper, Fiacre Ntwari, is very calm but has a big positive influence. He makes sure everyone does his job at the back."
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Bafana's shock defeat means that they drop to second place in Group C after failing to build on their 2-1 win over Benin on Saturday.
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