WednesdayRwanda 1-4 Algeria

Rwanda national football team concluded their ten-day pre-CHAN training camp in Tunisia with a humiliating 4-1 loss to Algeria in a warm-up match played on Wednesday at El Menzeh Stadium in Tunis.

Algeria, who did not qualify for CHAN finals in Morocco, scored the opener in the tenth minute through Farouk Chafai header off a corner taken by Beoussa Mokhtar.

In the 16^th minute, Amavubi forward Abeddy Biramahire had the ball in the back of the net but it was ruled out for offside.

But six minutes later Abid Mohamed Lamine headed in a cross, beating goalie Eric ‘Bakame’ Ndayishimiye from close ranga. Chafai made it 3-0 in the 29th minute after skipping past the Rwandan defense to shoot past Ndayishimiye as the Fennecs threatened to run riot.

Striker Bernabe Mubumbyi, who came on for Biramahire in the second half, pulled one back for Rwanda in the 79^th minute but Bouguelmouna El Habib restored Algeria’s three-goal margin with a superb strike five minutes to full time.

In the second half, Amavubi coach Antoine Hey made four substitutions; bringing on Dominique Savio Nshuti for Mico, Faustin Usengimana for Thierry Manzi, Ally Niyonzima for Amran Nshimiyimana and Fitina Omborenga for Eric Iradukunda.

During the ten-day camp held in Tunisia, Rwanda played against Sudan (40 minutes) in a goalless draw before the game was stopped by the referee after a fist fight broke out between both sets of players in Sousse on Saturday. The team also drew 1-1 with Namibia on Sunday.

Rwanda leaves Tunis for Tanger, Morocco today (Thursday) aboard Air Morocco with expected arrival scheduled for 15:30 (16:30 local time).

Rwanda will face Nigeria in their first group game on January 15 in Tanger before taking on Equatorial Guinea on the January, 19 and Libya on January, 23. The 2018 CHAN competition will run from January 13 to February 4.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw