A 10-man Rwanda got their Cecafa U18 boys' tournament off to a flying start after a 1-0 win against a stubborn Somalia in the opening Pool ‘A’ game at Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Kisumu.
Sibomana Bobo, who plays for Marines in the Rwanda Premier League, scored the all-important goal early in the second half. Rwanda suffered a blow in the first half when goalkeeper Eric Byringiro was sent off for handling the ball outside the box.
Despite Somalia dominating in the second half, they failed to convert their chances with Rwanda coach Kayiranga Baptiste admitting that the Somali youngsters were the better team technically.
“We had a good start but the red card completely disoriented us. However, in the second half, I told my boys to close spaces and not defend. I’m happy with the win and looking forward to the second game,” said Baptiste.
He hailed the Kenyan fans for supporting his side. “The atmosphere was perfect while the playing field was in good condition. However, my boys trained on an artificial turf for the tournament which was to our disadvantage,” he added.
On his side, Somali’s Omar Ahmed rued the missed chances. “This is a game we should have won largely because we played against 10 players and also created chances. I wish to congratulate Rwanda for the hard-fought win. Rwanda also created their fair share of chances but that is football,” said Ahmed.
He added: “We now turn our focus to the next game. I want to thank Kenyan Somalis who turned up in large numbers and I want to appeal to them to continue supporting the team in the entire tournament.”
Rwanda will play hosts Kenya in the second game on Tuesday while Somalia will battle it out with Sudan on the same day at Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium.
In Pool B matches scheduled for Kakamega on Sunday, Zanzibar will face South Sudan in the opening game while Tanzania take on Uganda.
