APR FC suffered a 1-0 defeat to Egypt’s Zamalek SC in the first leg of the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League at Amahoro Stadium on Friday, leaving the Rwandan champions needing a comeback in Cairo to keep their hopes of reaching the group stage alive.
APR FC started strongly, dominating possession and creating several scoring opportunities, but struggled to convert their chances into goals.
Byiringiro Jean Gilbert threatened early in the sixth minute with a shot that was blocked by Zamalek’s defence. APR FC players appealed for a penalty, but the referee waved away their protests.
The hosts continued to press, with Raouf Memel Dao testing Zamalek goalkeeper Mahdy Mohamed Soliman in the 24th minute. Memel Dao tried again five minutes later, but the Egyptian side’s goalkeeper kept his team in the game.
APR FC came closest to scoring just before half-time when Ishimwe Christian’s free-kick struck the crossbar before the goalkeeper got a touch, sending the ball out for a corner.
Despite creating more opportunities, APR FC went into the break with the score at 0-0.
The Rwandan side maintained its attacking approach after the restart. Captain Djibril Cheick Ouattara appeared to have scored in the 53rd minute, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Both coaches made substitutions as the match progressed, with APR FC introducing Hakim Kiwanuka and later Amani Michael in search of a breakthrough.
Kiwanuka missed another promising opportunity in the 72nd minute, while a subsequent attacking move involving Amani Michael and Ouattara was also halted for offside.
Zamalek capitalised on APR FC’s failure to take its chances, scoring late in the match through Nasser Mansy to secure a narrow victory away from home.
The result was a frustrating one for APR FC, whose attacking performance had raised hopes among home supporters but ultimately failed to produce a goal.
The two sides will meet again in the return leg in Cairo, Egypt, on Saturday, October 24, with APR FC needing to overturn the deficit to advance to the next stage of the competition.
