Amavubi home based team suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to Djibouti in the first leg of the CHAN qualifiers held at Amahoro Stadium on Sunday.
Djibouti scored the only goal of the match in the 79th minute through striker Gabriel Abeiku Dadzie to secure a narrow win.
The match, which was highly contested with both sides struggling to find the net, saw Djibouti emerge victorious to claim all three points.
Both teams were eager to assert their dominance on the field, but it was the hosts, Djibouti, who managed to break the deadlock through their Ghanaian-born striker Gabriel Dadzie in the second half.
The win marks a positive step for Djibouti as they look to build momentum ahead of the second leg on Thursday, October 31, 2024, at Amahoro Stadium.
Rwanda will be looking to secure their place in the final round of the qualifiers and need to win 2-0 or more if they are to go through to the next round.
Amavubi last participated in the tournament in 2020 in Cameroon, where they reached the quarterfinals.
Now with the defeat in the first leg, Coach Torsten Frank Spittler and his boys will have to do their best in the return fixture.
The winner from the two legs between Rwanda and Djibouti will face the winner of the South Sudan vs. Kenya match in the next qualifying round, which is scheduled for December.
Amavubi XI: Niyongira Patience, Nshimiyimana Yunussu, Ruboneka Bosco, Iyabivuze Osee, Niyibizi Ramadhan, Muhire Kevin (c), Omborenga Fitina, Niyigena Clement, Dushimimana Olivier, Niyomugabo Claude and Tuyisenge Arsene.
Subs: Gad, Christian, Gilbert, Ndayishimiye Didier, Pcifique, Mugisha Gilbert and Hirwa Jean de Dieu.
Djibouti XI: 22 Sulait Luyima, 3 Gabriel Dadzie, 4 Ahmed Youssouf Omar, 5 Abdi Idleh Hamza (C), 6 Yabe Siad Isman, 8 Ali Youssouf Farada, 10 Warsama Hassan Hussein, 13 Doualeh Mahamoud Elabeh, 14 Ibrahim Idriss Mohamed, 16 Moustapha Abdi Osman and 19 Mahad Abdillahi Abdi.
Subs: 9 Abdillahi Youssouf Elmi, 12 Mouktar Youssouf Said, 15 Warsama Ibrahim Aden, 17 Idriss Houmed Bilha, 18 Awaleh Hoch Gedo, 20 Djimaleh Awaleh Kayad and 21 Ahmed Mohamed Aden.
Photos
Joseph M. Vincent