Saturday

Somalia 0-1 Rwanda

Jean-Baptiste Kayiranga’s Rwanda U18 side enjoyed a positive start CECAFA U18 following Saturday’s 1-0 narrow win over Somalia at Jomo Kenyata Stadium despite playing the second half with a man down.

A lone goal from Sultan Bobo Sibomana was enough to inspire his team to the victory to go top of Group standings.

Midfielder Bartazar Ndayishimiye dribbled past two Somalia defenders just outside the box to pass the ball to Sibomana who made no mistake as he sent the Somalia goalkeeper to wrong side with a thunderbolt strike in the 46th minute.

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Kayiranga’s young troupes played the second half with ten players after goalkeeper, Eric Byiringiro was sent off in the 42th minute for catching the ball out of the penalty box.

The Rwandan side started the game strongly by dominating ball possession, forcing the Somalia side to play from their own half.

It was not until Rwanda opened the scores that Somalia started to attack in an attempt to get an equalizer. The team created chances and came close to equalizing but failed to hit the target.

Rwanda will return to action on Tuesday against hosts Kenya before wrapping up the group stages with Sudan.

The CECAFA U-18 Boys Championship is poised to captivate football enthusiasts and provide a glimpse into the future of East African football talent.

The winners of each group will face off against the runners-up in the semi-finals that will take place on December 5 in Kisumu Sports Stadium. The same ground will also host the final match on December 9..

It is believed that the tournament will serve as valuable preparation for the AFCON U-20 Zonal qualifiers due in 2024, offering teams a chance to fine-tune their strategies and gain crucial match practice.