Friday

APR FC beat 3-0 Les Aigles du Congo (Agg 3-1)

APR FC beat DR Congo's Les Aigles du Congo 3-0 at Amahoro Stadium on Friday, overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit to advance to the final qualifying round of the CAF Champions League.

The Rwandan champions came into the return leg trailing after a 1-0 defeat in Lubumbashi, but delivered an inspired performance in front of their home supporters to eliminate the Congolese side and keep their continental ambitions alive.

APR dominated much of the contest and took the lead in the 32nd minute through Djibril Ouattara.

The striker capitalised on pressure applied to the visitors' defense before calmly finding the back of the net to level the aggregate score at 1-1.

The hosts continued to push after the break and doubled their advantage in the 54th minute when Christian Ishimwe curled a superb free-kick past the goalkeeper to put APR ahead in the tie for the first time.

With Les Aigles forced to chase the game, APR remained dangerous going forward and sealed qualification in the 74th minute.

Ouattara completed his brace with a well-taken finish to make it 3-0 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate.

The victory marked a remarkable turnaround for the Rwanda Defence Force club, who had faced an uphill task after losing the first leg 1-0 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

APR FC will now face the winner of the tie between Egyptian giants Zamalek SC and AS Port of Djibouti in the final qualifying round for a place in the CAF Champions League group stage.

Zamalek hold the advantage after claiming a 2-1 away victory in the first leg, with the return match scheduled for Saturday in Cairo.