Rwanda/Benin: Afcon Qualifiers - Manzi Scores Late as Benin Hold Rwanda in Kigali

29 March 2023
The New Times (Kigali)
By Peter Kamasa

Defender Thierry Manzi saved the day for Carlos Alos Ferrer's Amavubi as his 71st minute equalizer denied Benin a victory in Kigali as the pair played a 1-all draw in a tightly-contested AFCON Group L qualifier held Wednesday, March 29, at empty Kigali Pelé Stadium.

Benin took advantage of playing the qualifier behind closed doors and opened the scoring in the 58th minute through FC Sochaux striker Jodel Dossou before Manzi cancelled the visitors' lead after 71st minutes to bring Amavubi level.

Rwanda could have taken the lead inside 25 minutes of the game when Benin conceded a penalty only for Rafael York to send it in the hands of Benin's shot stopper Allagbe Saturnin.

Dropping points at home means that Rwanda will have to wait for the last two games to confirm a place at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals.

Rwanda now sit in the third place with three points, a point behind Mozambique who remain second despite losing 1-0 at home to Senegal on Tuesday. Benin are bottom of the table with two points.

A win in Maputo earned Senegal a qualification to the AFCON finals in Cote d'Ivoire after collecting all 12 points from four victories in a possible four.

Despite a draw against Benin, Amavubi still stand a chance of booking a ticket to Cote d'Ivoire should they win their last two games.

They will host Mozambique on June 16 before they conclude their qualifying campaign with Senegal on September 8. Both fixtures will be held in Rwanda.

The last time Rwanda qualified for the tournament was in 2004.

Read the original article on New Times.

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