Rwanda lost by 1-0 to Mali at the 26 Mars Stadium on Saturday, October 29, in the second leg of the second preliminary round of the 2023 U23 AFCON qualifiers. The Junior Eagles qualify to the tournament in Morocco in 2023 with a 2-1 aggregate score line over Rwanda. The game started on an even note with both teams making incursions into each other's penalty area. After the early exchanges, Rwanda had the first brightest chance of the game in the 30th minute when Moise Nyarugabo beat his opponent but his strike missed the post by inches. Mali came into the game strongly with Thiemoko Diarra moving into spaces at the back of Rwandan defenders. Anicet Ishimwe lost a ball in midfield and in a swift move, Kalifa Traore latched on to a through pass before firing it past Adolphe Hakizimana for the opener in the 35th minute. After the goal, Mali continued to pile pressure on Rwanda. But Clement Niyigena and Samuel Nsegiyumva at the back proved resolute until the referee blew his whistle for recess. The second half started with Rwanda lifting up their game. They made use of the pace of Moise Nyarugabo and Prince Rudasingwa. Rwanda remained the better side as they created host of chances but still could not find the cutting edge as all the chances were wasted. Hakim Amissi had a glorious opportunity to pull even for the Amavubi U23 team in the 70th minute but saw his effort saved by goalkeeper Lassina Traore. Rwanda continued to push more men upfront in the final 10 minutes of the game but their efforts could not yield any goal.
