The Rwanda Sports Journalists Association (AJSPOR) on Wednesday, August 30, beat the team of Rwandan Community living in Queensland State, Australia, 4-2 in a friendly match held at Kigali Pelé Stadium.
The team, which is part of a group of 25 Rwandan youth which is in Rwanda to learn more about the country’s development trajectory, started the game bright and opened the lead in the 16th minute through Steven Nkurunziza before Sudi Murangira scored the second to put his team in control of the game against an AJSPOR side which looked shy in the first 30 minutes.
The sports journalists team, coached by Desire Hatungimana, started to regroup and put up some high pressing football in an attempt to fight back. And it worked for them as Christian Bigirimana pulled one back in the 35th minute before David Mugaragu set up Didier Rusine to score the second and bring the scores level at the break.
AJSPOR dominated the second half as some players of the Rwandan diaspora in Queensland looked tired as some went straight to the match upon landing from the airport.
"Some of the players were obviously tired because they did not get time to rest. Some even came to the match minutes after their arrival,” said Renatus Mulindangabo, the President of the Rwandan Community in Queensland.
Rusine scored his second goal of the game in the 52nd minute to give his team the lead before Richard Nshimiyimana scored a sensational strike in the 87th minute to ensure the win for his side.
Despite the loss, Mulindangabo lauded the players for showing up for the match, like they normally do in Queensland where they gather for sports activities.
"The team didn’t prepare well because of long hours of flight but we hope to play more friendlies with AJSPOR in the near future,” he said.
Sports is one of the activities that brings together the Rwandan community living in Queensland state and Australia in general and Mulindangabo hopes that the diaspora could soon be represented in different big sports events in the near future.
"Sports brings us together and that is why we have some young Rwandan players who play in the second division in Australia and we are already preparing children who can represent the country in the Olympic Games in the future,” he said.
Sandrine Maziyateke Uwimbabazi, the Director of Rwanda Community Abroad at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, hailed the team from the Rwanda Community in Queensland for coming together for the match and pledged to support similar initiatives bringing together Rwandan communities in other countries.