Benin thrashed Amavubi 3-0 at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan on Friday, October 11 in an AFCON 2025 qualifier game. Rwanda started the game with little urgency, allowing Benin to pile pressure on them from the onset. The home side had a corner kick in the sixth minute which resulted in a goal as Amavubi players failed to mark Steve Mounie who headed the ball past Fiacre Ntwari for the opener. Amavubi started to chase the game but Benin were more relaxed and made use of long balls from its midfielders Dodo Dokou and Sessi D'Almeida tried to locate either Mounie or Junior Olaitan in dangerous areas. Amavubi defender Thierry Manzi had an injury in the 37th minute and had to be taken off on a stretcher. He was replaced by Clement Niyigena. Amavubi threatened in the 40th minute as Gilbert Mugisha blasted a ball wide after cutting in from the left. Jojea Kwizera was booked for a foul in the 41st minute as Amavubi continued to chase the game. The final four minutes of the first half saw Benin hitting the post as Olaitan missed a big chance to make it 2-0. In the second half, Amavubi coach Torsten Spittler brought on Taiba Mbonyumwami for Innocent Nshuti. Meanwhile, Kwizera took a knock in the 55th minute and could not continue. So, he was subbed off as well and replaced by Samuel Gueulette. The game became more physical with players from each side going hard on each other. Dokou and Niyigena clashed and both had to receive treatment in the 60th minute. Benin made it 2-0 in the 67th minute through substitute Andres Houtundji, and three minutes later, Hassan Imourane put the game beyond the reach of Rwanda with the third goal. ALSO READ: AFCON 2025 Qualifiers: Improved Rwanda hold Super Eagles in Kigali Amavubi's midfield struggled against Benin, forcing coach Spittler to pull out both Kevin Muhire and skipper Djihad Bizimana for Steve Rubanguka and Ramadhan Niyibizi respectively in the 74th minute. The changes seemed to have brought some stability in the Amavubi midfield but they still could not make any vital incursions into Benin’s danger zone. The game ended in a 3-0 win for Benin as Amavubi failed to record a win over the Cheetahs in 7 attempts in 12 years. Benin will travel to Kigali for the return fixture on Tuesday, October 11.
