Elie Ganijuru(L) and Mitima Isaac of Rayon Sports
Rayon Sports has departed for Benghazi, Libya, ahead of their CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round first leg against Al-Hilal Benghazi scheduled for September 15.
Youssef Rharb, who was initially named to the 22-man traveling squad announced on September 11, that he was obliged to withdraw at the last minute due to an injury.
The 22-year-old left winger was instantly replaced by François Mugisha, who had been left out of the travelling squad. The Moroccan is expected to be out for two weeks.
The Blues and Whites left Kigali International Airport for Benghazi at around 4:25 p.m. They flew to Addis Ababa, took another flight to Cairo, and then continued on to Benghazi, where they are anticipated to arrive on Wednesday evening.
Aruna Madjaliwa and Emmanuel Mvuyekure, who are on international duty with Burundi national team which plays Cameroon in their final AFCON Qualifier on September 12, didn’t depart Kigali with the team but will join them in Benghazi.
Al-Hilal will host the Rwandan outfit on Friday at 8 p.m. Kigali time at the 10,550-seat Martyrs of Benina Stadium. The second leg will take place 15 days later at Kigali Pele Stadium.
The Benghazi-based club progressed to the second round of CAF Confederation Cup by beating Kenya’s Kakamega Homeboyz with a 4-1 aggregate score thanks to a significant 4-1 second leg victory after the two teams played out a goalless first leg.
Rayon Sports, who will represent Rwanda in the CAF Confederation Cup after winning the 2023 Peace Cup, were exempted from the first preliminary round due to their stellar performance in the 2018 campaign where they reached the competition’s group stages.
Reflecting on their preparations for the upcoming clash, Rayon Sports president Jean Fidele Uwayezu emphasized that their goal is to triumph and knock out the Libyan side, saying they will spare no efforts to repeat what they did in 2018.
