Rwanda’s men;s national football team Amavubi stunned Nigeria’s Super Eagles with a spirited 2-1 victory on their home soil, November 18,2024, but narrowly missed out on a place in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) set to be hosted in Morocco next year.
It was a dramatic finale to the qualifiers, with Amavubi heading into the match needing not just a win but also a favorable result from the Libya vs. Benin clash. Rwanda’s players rose to the occasion in Abuja, delivering a performance to remember, but their AFCON dreams were dashed by the mathematics of head-to-head records.
The game began with Nigeria dominating possession, and their breakthrough came in the 55th minute. Samuel Chukwueze, introduced as a substitute, danced past three Rwandan defenders to slot home a well-taken goal. It looked like another routine win for the Super Eagles, the continental giants.
But the Amavubi had other plans. In the 75th minute, Ange Mutsinzi pounced on a perfectly timed assist from Kwizera Jojea to level the score. Just two minutes later, Nshuti Innocent found the back of the net, turning the game on its head and silencing the home crowd.
The final whistle confirmed Rwanda’s impressive victory, a first against Nigeria in competitive play, but celebrations were bittersweet. In the other game that was in action in Benghazi, Benin held Libya to a goalless draw, securing their own qualification spot. Both Rwanda and Benin finished on 8 points, but Benin advanced thanks to a superior head-to-head record, having beaten Rwanda 3-0 earlier in the campaign despite losing 1-0 in the return leg at Amahoro national stadium in Kigali.
