Tuesday, October 13 Olympic Qualifiers (Second Leg) Ethiopia vs Rwanda (Dire Dawa Stadium, Ethiopia) Rwanda women’s national team captain Angeline Ndakimana is confident that Amavubi can overturn their first-leg deficit and eliminate Ethiopia when the two sides meet in the return leg of the 2028 CAF Women’s Olympic Qualifiers at Dire Dawa Stadium on Tuesday. Rwanda head into the decisive encounter trailing 1-0 on aggregate following a heartbreaking defeat in the first leg in Kigali on October 7. Despite the setback, Ndakimana believes Amavubi have the quality and determination to respond away from home and keep their Olympic qualification hopes alive. “We made a mistake in the first leg, but we can turn things around away from home. They are a good team, but we can beat them,” Ndakimana said. “We have been preparing well for this match because we know how difficult it is going to be. Everyone in the team is focused on achieving a positive result,” she added. Head coach André Casa Mbungo shares his captain’s optimism, insisting that the team has worked to address the shortcomings that cost them in the first leg. “We corrected our mistakes and we want to make sure that we get a good result. I know it is hard, but it is possible,” Casa Mbungo said. The first leg appeared destined to end in a goalless draw before a stoppage-time own goal by Rwanda defender Lydia Uzayisenga handed Ethiopia a crucial advantage. Uzayisenga inadvertently turned Abebe Mihiret’s cross into her own net in the second minute of added time, leaving Rwanda with a difficult task ahead of the return fixture. With their Olympic dream on the line, Amavubi must produce a strong performance in Ethiopia to keep their qualification campaign alive. Rwanda need to win by at least two goals to overturn the deficit and secure progression to the third round. The winner of the tie will advance to the next stage, where either Tanzania or Botswana awaits as the qualification campaign continues.
