Rwanda failed to move to second place in Group L of the 2023 AFCON qualifiers after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Benin at the Kigali Pele Stadium
Amavubi missed a penalty in the 18th minute through Rafael York before the visitors took the lead through Jodel Dossou in the 58th minute.
Rwanda fought back and restored parity through defender Thierry Manzi who netted a header.
Times Sport brings to you five things we learnt from the game.
High line cost Rwanda
High line defending in football is a sort of tactics in which defensive players stay close to the middle of the pitch when their team is in possession of the ball. It cost Rwanda as the guardsmen were too advanced.
The Rwandan back four stayed close to the middle of the pitch as the home side was playing an offensive game but, when Dossou had the ball in front of him, neither of the defenders between Thierry Manzi and Ange Mutsinzi could recover. He went ahead to score the Benin opener and Ferrer’s men found it too hard to bounce back to win the match which would have put them in a good position to qualify for the 2023 AFCON finals.
Rwanda's goal drought continues
Rwanda had the chance to open the scoring in the 18th minute through a penalty but it was missed by Rafael York. Chances were created afterwards but all were missed again.
Substitute Ally Niyonzima could have netted the match winner in the 87th minute but he directed his shot wide from close range inside the penalty box.
Time to revise Kagere’s playing time
It is evidently clear that Kagere has lost pace and getting to the twilight of his career his contributions in the Amavubi has been minimal.
He hardly gets involved and offers little. As time goes on, he has to play only cameo roles as he is less effective. Otherwise, Ferrer must find fresh attacking options at his disposal and Yannick Bizimana has shown that he has a lot to offer to the team if given more minutes.
Gilbert Mugisha proves his quality
The APR attacker has shown that he is capable of leading the Amavubi attack.
He was the key man upfront in the two legs against Benin. With more exposure, Mugisha will blossom.
Mugisha was in his elements again today and was unlucky not to have scored as his 20-yard powerful strike was saved by goalkeeper Saturnin Allagbe.
Playing behind closed doors favored Benin
The Cheetahs played under no pressure behind closed doors. With the presence of supporters in the stands of Kigali Pele Stadium, the result could have been different, a defeat for the Cheetahs was obviously inevitable.
But without them, Gernot Rohr’s men were very relaxed unlike the Amavubi.
They played with at ease and their build up from defense to attack was solid. They really benefited from the closed door game and they could regret not returning home with a victory.