Monday Rwanda 0-0 Tanzania Amavubi were on Monday held by Tanzania in a friendly match at Kigali Stadium. Amavubi started brightly controlling possession for much of the first half but they failed to put the ball in the net. The first half ended with Amavubi the better side. Haruna Niyonzima, who captained the team, failed to capitalise from a free kick in the second half. Jacques Tuyisenge and Meddie Kagere, some of the foreign based players who were summoned for the game, played a crucial role upfront but could not find the net. They were replaced with Djabel Manishimwe and Ernest Sugira in the second half as Coach Vincent Mashami gave minutes to majority of players ahead of the team’s return leg of the 2020 CHAN Qualifying return leg against Ethiopia due Saturday in Kigali. After the match, Mashami said the match was meant to try different formations and get him an idea of which players would play the Walias of Ethiopia tie on Saturday at Kigali Stadium. Amavubi will go into the do-or-die encounter with a 1-0 advantage from last month’s first-leg at Mekelle Stadium, in Ethiopia. The aggregate winner of the tie will secure their spot in the 2020 CHAN finals as one of the three teams that will represent the Cecafa region in the continent’s second-biggest football tournament. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
