Amavubi’s African Cup of Nations (AFCON) ambitions took a major blow as they were narrowly defeated 1-0 by Libya in front of a full crowd at Amahoro Stadium.
November 14th will be remembered as the day Rwanda endured its first defeat in a match played at the newly renovated Amahoro Stadium.
Amavubi hosted Libya’s Mediterranean Knights in a must-win match that could have boosted their ambitions to return to the AFCON for the first time in two decades.
The home team, backed by the crowd, dominated the first half, creating several scoring chances but failing to convert any of them.
Rwanda continued to control possession in the second half but squandered opportunities until Libya’s Fahd Saad Mohamed scored the only goal of the match in the 84th minute.
This left Rwanda with little time to respond, and the defeat severely jeopardized their AFCON qualification hopes.
Rwanda traveled to Uyo, Nigeria, early this morning to take on the Super Eagles in the final match of Group D. And their chances of qualifying for the 2025 AFCON now rely not only on their own performance but also on the result of the Benin-Libya match.
Amavubi must beat Nigeria and hope that Libya defeats Benin. Currently, the Torsten Spittler-coached team sits in third place with 5 points, two points behind second-placed Benin and 6 points off leaders Nigeria, who have already secured their AFCON ticket.
Libya’s win has also improved their chances. Although they are at the bottom of the table with 4 points, if they beat Benin in their final match and hope that Nigeria manages at least a draw against Rwanda, they will make it to Morocco next year.
