Five talking points from Rwanda’s first victory in AFCON qualifiers

The chances of qualifying to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for Rwanda received a huge boost following a hard-fought 1-0 home victory against Mozambique at Kigali Stadium on Wednesday. Lague Byiringiro, 20, scored the lone goal with a stunning strike from outside the penalty box. The win saw head coach Vincent Mashami’s side register their first win of the AFCON qualifiers campaign and leapfrog Mozambique (4 points) to second with five points behind Group F leaders Cameroon – who will also host the tournament. The Indomotable Lions visit Cape Verde this Friday, March 26, looking to extend their unbeaten run to five matches. The latter sit bottom of the table with four points. Weekend Sport looks at five key talking points from the Rwanda Vs Mozambique clash. Amavubi end frustrating goal drought Before Wednesday’s crucial win, Amavubi had gone 427 minutes without finding the back of the net in the AFCON qualifiers campaign. Wonder-kid Byiringiro’s strike was Rwanda’s first goal in the qualifiers. Rwanda was the only side that had not scored since the qualifiers got underway in November 2019. Byiringiro, a football star in the making Rwanda has a new hero in Byiringiro after scoring the goal that made the all-important difference at Kigali Stadium mid-week. The 20-year-old also impressed at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Cameroon where Amavubi reached the quarter-finals in January. His current form has also caught the attention of Swiss club FC Zurich who recently made contact with his club, local champions APR, to allow him go for trials at the club next month. The forward is ready to play professional football and his discipline, confidence, ball control and pace indicate that he is a star in the making. Mashami’s substitutions worked out When Rwanda’s starting lineup was released, many pundits were not impressed by Mashami’s decision to hand five players their first starts yet a win was the only result that could keep the country’s AFCON dream alive. The tactician’s game-plan, however, materialised when he introduced the likes of Byiringiro and Bertrand Iradukunda in the second half to boost his side’s aggression in front of the Mozambican goal. And, it worked. Whether he did it by luck or it was planned, Mashami’s bench changed the game. Mvuyekure gives Mashami a goalkeeping selection headache Many thought the goalie’s last-minute call-up in the national team was just to give him a selection as a squad member after Yves Kimenyi pulled out through injury. But, surprisingly, Mashami put trust in the 28-year-old to start between the sticks after he was informed that first-choice goalkeeper Olivier Kwizera was banned to play the Mozambique game following the red card he was shown during Amavubi’s 2-1 defeat to Guinea during the rescheduled 2021 CHAN finals in Cameroon. The shot-stopper was fantastic with a man-of-the-match performance following a series of saves that thwarted several chances of the Southern African side. It must already be giving Mashami a headache to pick who will start between him and Kwizera in future matches. Mozambique was weak(ened) At some point, Mashami might regret missing out on a ticket to the AFCON finals just because of goal-difference yet his men squandered chances of scoring more goals against a visibly shaky Mozambican side they dominated in all areas of the game. The visitors struggled without their key players who were denied by their French and Portuguese clubs to join the national team as a precaution to minimise the risk of contracting Covid-19. The lineup that beat Amavubi in Maputo was quite different, and the likes of skipper Elias Gaspar ‘Dominguez’ Pelembe and SC Simba’s attacking midfielder Luís Miquissone failed to impress in Kigali. Amavubi could have done better with two or three more goals against Luis Goncalves’ leaky defense.

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Five talking points from Rwanda’s first victory in AFCON qualifiers