Rwanda’s U18 men’s handball team ended their African Youth Nations Championship campaign with a 35-21 defeat to Cameroon in the 5-8 classification match for the World Cup qualifiers in Abidjan on Monday. The young Rwandan side struggled to match Cameroon’s intensity, but remained competitive in the first half, trailing 13-12 at the break. However, Cameroon stepped up their performance after the restart, scoring 22 goals while Rwanda managed just nine to turn a closely contested match into a comfortable victory. ALSO READ: Rwanda hold Libya at African Youth Championship Giramahoro Pacifique led Rwanda’s scoring with five goals from seven attempts, while Uhwiyere Samuel added four from eight attempts. Samuel Turinayo and Athanase Sibomana contributed two goals each, but Rwanda struggled to maintain their attacking efficiency as Cameroon tightened their defence. The defeat brought an end to a campaign in which Rwanda had shown resilience to reach the knockout stage. Rwanda opened their Group C campaign with a 33-26 defeat to Morocco before producing a dramatic 36-36 draw against Libya. The result initially left their qualification hopes hanging in the balance, but Rwanda advanced to the quarter-finals after Libya lost 32-25 to Morocco, allowing the Rwandans to progress from the group. They were then drawn against Guinea in the quarter-finals. Rwanda put up a strong fight but suffered a 25-22 defeat, ending their hopes of reaching the semi-finals and sending them into the classification matches for fifth to eighth place, with a top-five finish carrying significance in the race for World Cup qualification. Their final opportunity to improve their position came against Cameroon, but the Central African side proved too strong in the second half. Despite the disappointing ending, the tournament provided valuable international experience for a young Rwandan team competing at continental level. Head coach Anaclet Bagirishya said the team leaves Abidjan without a place in the top five, but the campaign gave his players valuable exposure against some of Africa’s leading youth sides and another opportunity to develop as part of the national-team pathway. 26
