The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Majuto Omary
2 December 2011
Dar es Salaam — Rwanda’s national soccer team, Amavubi, survived a scare before registering a 5-2 win over Djibouti in an exciting match of the Cecafa Tusker Challenge Cup yesterday.
Djibouti seemed destined to cause an upset when they took a 2-1 half time lead in the Group A match at the National Stadium.Three minutes into the game, Kamana Labama latched into a cross by Mugiraneza Jean Baptist to score the match opener for Rwanda.
Djibouti’s Daoud Hassan cancelled the Amavubi’s lead in the 25th minute with a superb shot that went straight into the yawning net.Ten minutes later, Hassan came into the picture, this time with a close range drive off a Chamark Nour pass.
On resumption, Amavubi came out a more aggressive side and levelled matters three minutes before the hour mark through Baptist after he was set up by Ngabo Robert.
Sensing the danger of losing the game, Djibouti resorted to a defensive play, knowing little that it could cost them dearly.Substitute Olivier Karekezi is a player who killed off whatever hopes Djibouti had to stun the Rwanda team.
The agile striker netted the third goal for Amavubi in the 77th minute with a diving header and made it 4-2 two minutes later.He sealed the score for the Rwanda team in the 85th minute to grab a hat-trick and enable his team to finish top of Group A.
A few minutes earlier, Djibouti suffered a blow when referee Wiish Yabarow from Somalia gave their midfielder Chamark Nour a red card for indiscipline.Amavubi, gunning for their first Cecafa Tusker Challenge Cup title, will now face the best losers in the group stage on Monday.
Zanzibar Heroes, who beat Somalia 3-0 in their last group stage match on Thursday, will likely finish the best losers when the group stage winds up today.
In yesterday’s other match, Malawi’s Flames joined teams that are through to the knock out stage of the tournament after battling to a one-all draw with 10-man Ethiopia at the same venue.
Ethiopia broke the stalemate in the 15th minute through a penalty by Adane Gebreyes.Referee awarded the Ethiopians the spot kick after Malawi’s defender Siyeni Zoya handled the ball in the box in desperate efforts to clear a dangerous move.
Substitute Henry Kabichi levelled matters a few minutes after coming in for injured John Banda.
In the 89th minute, referee Israel Mujusi gave Gebreyes marching orders for elbowing a Malawi defender.
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