Rwanda national football team registered an important away 1-0 victory over Mozambique in their opening game of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers at the Estadio Nacional de Zimpeto in Maputo.
Sunday’s selected results
Mozambique 0 – 1 Rwanda
Ghana 7-1 Mauritius
Congo 1-1 Kenya
DR Congo 2 - 1 Madagascar
Eq. Guinea 1 - 1 Benin
Ethiopia 2 - 1 Lesotho
Niger 1 - 0 Namibia
Cameroon 1 - 0 Mauritania
Rwanda national football team registered an important away 1-0 victory over Mozambique in their opening game of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers at the Estadio Nacional de Zimpeto in Maputo.
Ernest Sugira converted a superb header from a well taken cross delivered by winger Jacques Tuyisenge on the right flank to give the Amavubi the lead in the third minute.
An excited Rwanda head coach, Johnny McKinstry told Times Sport after the match that, "We are always looking to score at an early stage in the game. We want a positive start in the first 15 minutes of any game.
"For us, we spoke a lot last week to the players about going forward. We can’t just possess the ball.
"The opportunity came very early on. We played on the right wing and got forward. We got a great cross and a great finish from Ernest Sugira.”
Thereafter, the visitors defended every counter attack by Os Mambas who were desperate to get an equalizer but Rwanda held their own and were lucky on two occasions not to concede after brilliant defensive work by the quartet of Michel Rusheshangoga, Emery Bayisenge, Faustin Usengimana and Abouba Sibomana.
McKinstry admitted, "From that point [after the goal], we had about 92 minutes of the game still to go including three possible minutes of stoppage time, 92 minutes of defending and keeping Mozambique out was always going to be tough but the boys did extremely well.”
Rwanda walked away with three points and are second in Group H following Ghana’s massive 7-1 win over minnows Mauritius at the Accra Sports Stadium yesterday.
With the victory, Amavubi have ended a four-year away win jinx in a competitive game dating back to a 1-0 win over Benin in the 2012 AFCON qualifying Group H campaign in Cotonou on October 9, 2011.