‘We used that opportunity to beat Bafana’: Rwanda’s Fiacre Ntwari

TS Galaxy and Rwanda goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari has recalled how his national team surprisingly got the better of Bafana Bafana in the FIFA World Cup qualifier that took place in November last year.

South Africa finds itself in Group C alongside Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Lesotho, and Benin.

With two matches played, Hugo Broos’ men sit second in the table with three points, having won one and lost one. Rwanda, meanwhile, leads the group with four points after a win and a draw.

Bafana’s World Cup qualifying campaign started on a positive note with a 2-1 victory over Benin. However, their momentum was halted by a surprising 2-0 loss to Rwanda in challenging wet conditions at Huye Stadium.

Ntwari acknowledges that, on paper, Bafana is the stronger team. He emphasises the pressure he felt, playing against a nation where he plies his trade.

NTWARI SAYS AS AN SA-BASED PLAYER HE COULDN’T AFFORD TO DISAPPOINT RWANDA AGAINST BAFANA

“You know when you look at Bafana and Rwanda, it’s not the same quality,” Ntwari told FARPost.

“For us, we just said we are home and we can’t lose the game at home, we have to give our best.

“And then we gave our best, we pushed, even me I pushed harder the players because they know I play in South Africa. And I would concede four, it wouldn’t look nice.

“So, I had to do my best to push my team so that we could do better because I knew that when we beat Bafana it will even help me when I go back, my name would be high.

“And then God helped us and then we beat them.”

Bafana couldn’t adapt to playing on the waterlogged artificial surface. Ntwari says they are used to it in Rwanda and with SA men struggling, they exploited an opportunity.

‘IT WAS NOT A PROBLEM FOR US’

“We’re used used to play in artificial [pitches] because artificial is more there in Rwanda,” he added.

“All of us, even the players who play in Europe, they come from there. It was not a problem for us to play [in those conditions].

“We didn’t care, we said we have to play our football even if it’s raining and we said we have to give our best in any conditions so that we can win the game.

“Maybe Bafana players weren’t comfortable with the pitch and water and stuff. We took that opportunity to score our goals”

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