APR FC’s quest for the CAF Champions League’s group stages has once again been halted by Pyramids with a 4-2 aggregate score.
On September 21, APR FC faced another setback, losing 3-1 to the Pyramids and being knocked out of the competition with a 4-2 aggregate score.
The five-time consecutive champions of the Rwanda Premier League, since 2019, have encountered yet another defeat at the hands of Pyramids, following a humiliating 6-1 loss at the same venue, 30 June Stadium, last season.
In the first leg at Amahoro Stadium, APR managed a 1-1 draw, hoping to defy the odds and eliminate the Egyptian giants to reach their long-awaited Champions League group stage.
However, the 2023/2024 Egyptian League runners-up find their matchup against APR as manna, having reached the CAF Champions League group stages only twice in their history and passing APR on both occasions.
In the second leg, Mouhamed Chibi equalized APR’s early lead by Dauda Youssif, and the second half goals from Fiston Mayele and Karim Hafiz secured a 3-1 victory, sending the Pyramids to the 2024 CAF Champions League Group stage.
APR FC, the most decorated football club in Rwanda, had eliminated Tanzania’s Azam in the first round of these preliminary rounds. After a busy summer transfer window, the army side appeared to be aiming for more than just local trophies.
Their focus must shift as they have to prepare Etincelles FC match at Umuganda for their first league match.
