Rwanda’s representatives in the 2023 CAF Champions, APR FC were ousted in the second preliminary round, and their long-held ambition to appear in any top-level Continental tournament group stage remains a nightmare.
Following a goalless draw in Kigali last week, APR FC’s 2023 journey to the CAF Champions League Group stage came to an end as they were thrashed 6-1 by Egypt’s Pyramids in the second leg match of the second round played at the 30 June Stadium.
Mostafa Fathi broke the deadlock 18 minutes after the kickoff, and Walid El-Kharti doubled the lead three minutes later to give the home team the comfort of a two-goal advantage.
In a similar way to the first half, APR conceded two goals in quick succession, with Mostafa Fathi scoring in the 56th and 61st minutes to complete his hat trick and the Pyramids’ fourth goal.
In the 68th minute, APR’s defender Salomon Banga Bindjeme escaped a red following a bad tackle in the box, although a penalty seemed obvious.
Ramadhan Sobhi missed the penalty attempt, and Mohamed Al-Shaibi rebounded it to make it 5. And things became much worse for Rwanda’s most decorated Club When Mostafa Fathi scored the sixth goal—his fourth goal in this Friday’s encounter.
APR’s Victor Mbaoma came off the bench and converted a penalty shot in the 86th minute after Gabr handled the ball in the box.
6-1 on aggregate meant not just elimination, but also humiliation for a team that had not used foreigners in over a decade and overhauled the policy this season in search of international glory.
The team’s focus must shift to local competitions, with APR FC aiming for a fifth league title in a row. They have scooped up every league trophy since 2019.
