Mozambique pulled off a defensive masterclass during their 2-0 win over Rwanda in their latest 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Huye Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Goals from Geny Catamo and Clesio Bauque saw Mozambique keep their Afcon qualification dream alive and subsequently jumped to second place in Group L. Sadly, Rwanda will now miss out on qualifying for the showpiece.
Mozambique commenced the first-half as the better of the two outfits and saw most of the ball during the opening five minutes of the encounter. Despite the lack of possession, Rwanda created the first notable goal scoring chances of the match.
Despite playing on the back foot for most of the half, Mozambique took the lead on the stroke of halftime. In a swift counter attacking move, Elias Pelembe found Geny Catamo with a looping ball into the penalty area, as the attacker calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net.
In the second half, Rwanda immediately went on the attack in search of an equaliser.
It appeared that Mozambique were happy to surrender the ball for much of the second-half as Rwanda mounted pressure in the form of prolonged spells of ball possession.
Mozambique’s doggish defending proved to be troublesome for the host nation as the Mambas were more than happy to set up shop toward the end of the tie.
In true smash and grab style, Mozambique doubled their advantage in the 94th minute as Clesio made the most of a sloppy bit of defending from the hosts.
Credit: supersport.com
