Recounting Rwanda’s road to AFCON 2004 finals

Rwanda take on Ghana in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier today at Amahoro stadium, exactly 12 years and two months since the two teams last met at the same venue and Amavubi emerged 1-0 victors to qualify for the 2004 finals tournament in Tunisia. Then, Rwanda at 109, were the lowest ranked team in Group 13, which also had neighbours Uganda at 103 while the Black Stars were ranked at 78th position—however, that mattered little as Amavubi stunned their more illustrious opponents to take the one available qualification ticket. Amavubi topped the group with seven points—two wins and a draw, while Uganda Cranes came in second position with five points—one win and two draws while the Black Stars, who were favourites in the eyes of many, finished bottom of the group with four points—one win and a draw. Qualifying for Rwanda was historic as never before, had the country been at the continent’s biggest football competition, and more worryingly, that feat never looked likely after the first three rounds of matches. Amavubi’s campaign started with two back to back defeats—they lost the first qualifier 1-0 against Uganda in Kampala courtesy of Philip Obwiny’s goal (September 7, 2002) and followed it with another 4-2 loss away to Ghana in Accra on October 13. Ghana’s goals were scored by Elias Ntaganda (own goal), Hamza Muhammed, Asampong Taylor and Derrick Boateng, while Milly Hassan and Hamad Ndikumana got Rwanda’s goals. Sitting bottom of the group without a point and no or little hope of where the first point was going to come from, on March 29, 2003 at Amahoro stadium, Djukovic Ratomir’s team picked up their first point in the goalless draw against Uganda in-front of probably the biggest crowd to ever turn up for a football match in Rwanda. Less than three months later, on June 7, the one point became four following a historic and controversial 1-0 win over the Uganda Cranes at Mandela National Stadium, Kampala. That game turned Amavubi striker Jimmy Gatete, who scored the all-important goal, into an instant hero, for, it did not only put Rwanda top of the table with four points, but most importantly galvanized their qualification chances. Two weeks later and as fate or luck would have it, Ghana and Uganda drew (1-1) in Kumasi thereby taking Uganda to the top of the group with five points but Rwanda and Ghana, both tied on four points, still had to meet in Kigali on July 6 in a winner takes it all last game of the qualifying campaign. On that day (July 6, 2003), just like it had been for weeks in the lead-up to what had already been described, as the most important match in the history of Rwandan football, the mood was one of high expectations yet tensions and nervousness were in full circle in and out of the team camp. Ghana came into the match as favourites and few, if any, would argue otherwise but Amavubi and especially Gatete had other ideas as they went on to register what remains until to-date, the most important win in Rwanda’s history. With that 1-0 win, Rwanda went on to qualify for their first ever AFCON finals tournament and Ghana missed out, but since then, the Black Stars have never missed, including reaching the final of the 2015 edition in Equatorial Guinea when they lost to Ivory Coast while Amavubi are still seeking for a second appearance. Twelve years from the euphoria that followed Rwanda’s win over Ghana and the subsequent historic qualification, so much water has passed under the bridge in either camp, and that, coupled with the fact that today’s game isn’t as important as the first encounter, Amavubi fans would be expected to settle for whatever result from their team. Win, draw or lose this afternoon, there is still a long way for Amavubi in their campaign to book a ticket to the 2017 finals tournament in Gabon.

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Recounting Rwanda’s road to AFCON 2004 finals