Rwanda and Libya shared the spoils in a thrilling 36-36 draw on Wednesday night at the African Youth Nations Championship in Abidjan. Neither side was willing to give ground in a closely contested encounter, with the teams level at 18-18 at halftime before producing another 18-goal exchange after the break. James Ndatimana led Rwanda’s attack with nine goals from 18 attempts, while Pacifique Giramahoro added seven from nine. ALSO READ: Morocco beat Rwanda in Africa youth handball championship Samuel Turinayo also made an important contribution, scoring six goals from eight attempts as Rwanda maintained pressure on the Libyan defence. Rwanda were particularly efficient from the six-metre area, scoring 21 goals from 27 attempts, while converting six of their seven chances from the wings. The result leaves Rwanda with one point from two matches following their opening 33-26 defeat to Morocco, but the performance against Libya will provide encouragement as they continue their campaign. The draw keeps Rwanda’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive, although their qualification now depends on the outcome of Morocco’s match against Libya. Having lost to Morocco by seven goals, Rwanda need Morocco to beat Libya by more than seven goals to progress from Group C.
