The Amavubi of Rwanda put up a brilliant performance at the Stade de l'Amitie in Cotonou on Wednesday, March 22 as they held Benin to a 1-1 draw in a crunch encounter of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
The visitors were solid and gave a good account of themselves despite playing half an hour with ten men following the dismissal of wonder kid Hakim Sahabo who set up Rwanda's only goal with a sublime pass to Gilbert Mugisha.
Times Sport takes a look at five things we learnt from the game as Rwanda picked their second point from Group L.
Sahabo proves his worth at a tender age
At just 17, Sahabo is playing top level football with the national team after his attacking masterclass made a significant impact in Rwanda’s draw in Cotonou.
The Lille U19 player is the type of talent that has been missing in the Rwandan national team for years.
Sahabo can dribble, can pass and also he is good at set pieces. On Wednesday, he set up Mugisha for Amavubi's goal with an exquisite cross-field pass which great passers of the ball like Xavi Hernandez and Cesc Fabregas will envy on any day.
He was by far the best player on the pitch before being sent off in the 60th minute for a second bookable offense.
Amavubi's defense taking shape
Playing 30 minutes with a man down, Rwanda’s back four were as solid as they could. They defended gallantly with Omborenga Fitina and Ange Mutsinzi making some timely clearances.
Away games on the African continent are not easy and for the defense to hold Benin until the 82nd minute with the team playing with ten men, they really did a good job.
ALSO READ: Huye stadium ruled out of hosting Rwanda v Benin AFCON qualifier
Amavubi miss playing at home
The 40,000 capacity Stade de l'Amitie in Cotonou was almost filled to the brim with Benin fans and the atmosphere was very intimidating.
Despite Rwanda living up to expectation with a delightful display in the 1-1 draw, Benin would make no mistake if by any chance Amavubi decided to host the return leg at the same venue. It could undoubtedly be a different story.
With another match in Cotonou, as CAF ordered, Benin would go all out knowing that, with the home support, a win would put them in a position to achieve a top two Group L finish.
Rwanda's chances of finishing second in the Group is in their own hands. The federation should do their part and push CAF to give Huye Stadium the rights to host their return leg against Benin and let Ferrer do the talking on the pitch.
The home support has been a golden advantage that the majority of teams cherish and, with Amavubi supposed to be playing the remaining three fixtures at home, Ferwafa and stakeholders should be doing all they can bring the matches home and, that way, the hoe fans ca show how vital their support can be to the team’s results.
And, in case Huye Stadium remains ineligible, Uganda are playing away to Tanzania on Tuesday March 28 which means the Namboole Stadium in Kampala is free. Burundi are also not involved in the qualifiers and they are playing Indonesia in a friendly game in Jakarta which means their stadium in Bujumbura is also free.
FERWAFA should push for one of these stadiums to host the Amavubi vs Benin encounter so that the fans can easily go and support the team to victory.
ALSO READ: AFCON Qualifiers: Ten-man Rwanda hold Benin in Cotonou
Ntwari’s goalkeeping masterclass
AS Kigali are currently struggling in the domestic league and goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari hasn't been at his best at club level but he was one of the heroes for Amavubi against Benin on Wednesday.
The APR product pulled as many as five great saves to keep his side in the game. It could be one of the best performances by a Rwandan keeper in an international game in recent years.
It is now clear that Ferrer made a good choice by handing him the number one spot ahead of APR's Pierre Ishimwe.
Amavubi's away performance has been encouraging
Rwanda has played three away games in the Group with two draws and one narrow defeat which was against African champions Senegal. With the Teranga Lions, it even took a 98th minute penalty from Sadio Mane to win them the game.
Amavubi have been good in away games under Ferrer, which is an encouraging run as opposed to the manner they used to perform away from home during Vincent Mashami's tenure.
The fantastic output against Benin on Wednesday indicates that the team can still get better.