Saturday and Sunday were challenging days for Rwandan teams in the CAF Confederation and Champions League preliminaries.
On Saturday, August 17, 2024, Police FC, the Rwanda Peace Cup holder, was in Algeria to face last season’s Algerian top-flight league’s second runner-up, Sports Club Constantine, in the first preliminary game of the CAF Confederation at the Mohammed Hamlaoui Stadium.
The match left Police FC in a difficult position, facing the tough task of overcoming a two-goal deficit against SC Constantine after the Algerians secured a 2-0 victory.
The game started evenly, with both teams having chances to control the play. However, just before the referee signaled halftime, the Algerian side took the lead with a goal from Brahim Dib in the 45th minute. Despite Police FC’s efforts to equalize, CS Constantine’s defense held strong.
The hosts sealed their win with a second goal from Tosin Omoyele in the 80th minute, giving them a significant advantage ahead of the second leg in Kigali on August 25.
Police FC’s situation was further complicated when Msanga Henry received a red card in the 79th minute, leaving the team to finish the match with ten players.
On Sunday, August 18, 2024, Rwanda’s national league defending champion, APR FC, was in Tanzania to face last season’s runner-up, AZAM FC, in the Champions League preliminary round at Chamazi Stadium, Dar es Salaam.
APR FC was not lucky as the away game looks very tough to them after they suffered a 1-0 loss to AZAM FC, with the only goal coming from a penalty scored by Jhonier Blanco.
APR FC started the game well, controlling the game defensively according to Coach Darko Novic’s game approach.
Both teams were eager to break the deadlock in the first 45 minutes, but neither of them managed to score, leading to a goalless first half.
Just nine minutes into the second half, Gibril Sillan sent a long pass into the box for Feisal Salum, who was brought down by APR FC’s captain Niyomugabo Jean Claude. This led the referee to award AZAM FC a penalty, which they converted to take the lead.
There were two changes in APR FC’s lineup compared to previous games, with the coach deciding to start Lamptey and Mamadou Sy in the first eleven.
Coach Darko Novic made several substitutions, bringing in Niyibizi Ramathan for Dushimirimana Olivier, Odibo Godwin for Lamptey Richmond, and Victor Mbaoma for Mamadou Sy, in an attempt to equalize, but the score remained unchanged.
APR FC still has another 90 minutes in Kigali to try again in front of AZAM FC to see if they can eliminate them to advance to the next round.
The return leg between APR FC and AZAM FC is scheduled for August 24 at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda, while Police FC will host SC Constantine on August 25 at Kigali Pele Stadium in Kigali.
