By

Eniola Olatunji 

Rwanda on Tuesday surprisingly subdued visiting Cheetahs of Benin with a 2-1 victory at the Amahoro Stadium, Kigali in a group D qualifier leaving quarrelsome Libya and walk away Nigeria in a limbo in the group. 

Nigeria that is supposed to meet Libya in Benghazi at 8pm Nigerian time on Tuesday still leads group D with 7 points scoring 4 goals and yet to concede a goal; Benin is still 2nd despite the defeat with 6 points scoring 6 goals and conceding 6; Rwanda complicates matter for Libya placing 3rd with 5 points now scoring 3 goals and conceding 5 while Libya sits hopelessly at the bottom wit just a point scoring 2 goals and conceding 4.

Rwanda dominated the match with 17 – 5 shots at goal; 4-3 on target; having 66-34% ball possession; stringing 357-197 passes and having 4-1 corner kicks.

The match between Libya and Nigeria scheduled for 8pm has been delisted by CAF that organizes AFCON matches meaning the decision on that match is at the instance of her Disciplinary Committee currently investigating the hullabaloo between both countries as Nigeria withdraw claiming inhuman treatment to her team. 

Clubs of the Nigerian players abroad had sent private jets to evacuate their players but Libya refused to allow them take their players and the Tunisian Pilot who took the Nigerian team to Libya on Sunday claimed he was told their plane must divert as “orders from above” given to Libyan security officials stating that he was willing to supply verified evidence if invited by CAF. 
  
Rwanda and Benin Republic met 8 times before with Benin having 5 wins, Rwanda won once and there were 2 draws. They met 5 times at AFCON level where Benin clicked 3 wins, Rwanda had the only victory there and there was a draw. At the world cup, they met 3 times where Benin earned 2 wins and there was a draw.

Let us take some matches. At the world cup on 10th June 2012 they played 1-1; also at the world cup of 8th August 2013 Benin won at home 2-0. At  the AFCON match of 22nd March 2023 they played 1-1 at Benin;  but travelling to Kigali on 29th March 2023 in an AFCON match Benin won 3-0 which has been the highest goals scored between both teams; at home on 6th June 2024 in an AFCON match Benin won 1-0 and on 11th October 2024 in yet another AFCON match Benin equaled an achievement beating Rwanda at home 3-0.

Benin in her last 5 matches, won 1-0 over Rwanda on 6th June 2024; she piped Nigeria in Abidjan 2-1 in a world cup qualifier on 10th June 2024; Nigeria defeated her on 7th March in an AFCON qualifier at UYO; on 10th September 2024 Benin defeated Libya 2-1 at Abidjan in the AFCON qualifier series and on 11th October 2024 Benin again won at Abidjan 3-0 in the last AFCON qualifier game.

Rwanda had on 6th June 2024 lost by a lone goal to Benin away in world cup qualifier; on 11th June 2024 she beat Lesotho away by a lone goal in world cup qualifier; Rwanda shocked Libya with a 1-1 draw in Tripoli in the AFCON Group D qualifier; on 10th September 2024 Rwanda got a robust goalless draw with Nigeria in Kigali in the AFCON games and she lost her last AFCON games to Benin 0-3 on 11th October 2024.

In the group D AFCON qualifier, Match day 5 scheduled for 11th November Nigeria will be in Abidjan to face Benin while Libya will travel to Kigali that same day.

In the last group match DAY 6 Nigeria will play Rwanda at Uyo on 19th November while Benin will play away to Libya same day.  

Even if Libya is awarded her match with Nigeria and wins the two other outstanding matches she will end up with 11 points. If she drops a match via loss Libya will have 8 points and if she plays draw in the outstanding two matches with the match against Nigeria given, she will have 7 points.

Rwanda is still in reckoning if she can produce more shockers to win her outstanding two matches as she will have 11 points and Libya may then pray for goals difference. If Rwanda drops a match and wins her match at home against Libya she will have 8 points and would have pushed out Libya.

Benin has a home match with Nigeria and an away match with Libya so if she could produce her home sparkle in Abidjan and get a draw in Libya she would garner 10 points.

Nigeria will fight to earn two wins at home against Rwanda and away to Benin which will mean 11 points to Nigeria if the match Day 4 is dashed to Libya.  Whichever way, Nigeria and Libya are not in the same category with the AFCON qualifier.  Libya my need to go reset for the world cup qualifier.

Libya is deeply in crisis with the resignation of her Football Federation President last Sunday when the trouble was brewed in Benghazi.

FIFA and the football world waits on CAF to straighten records in Group D and heal sick styles of North African football to get victory by any means.