Rwanda, Tanzania qualify for round Two

_{The national U-23 teams of Rwanda and Tanzania have qualified for the second round in the TotalEnergies U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 qualifiers.}

_{Tanzania sealed through to the next round after seeing off South Sudan, while Rwanda ejected Libya in the first round.}

_{After a goalless draw in the first round played in Dar es Salaam over a week ago, Tanzania settled for a 3-3 draw against a hard fighting South Sudan team in the return leg played at the Huye Stadium in Rwanda on Monday. The Tanzania team qualified on an away goals rule.}

_{It was Rwanda’s chance to turn round their 4-1 first leg defeat and they proved a point by silencing Libya 3-0 in the return leg match played at the Huye Stadium on Tuesday.}

_{Skipper Clement Niyigena netted a brace, while Prince Rudasingwa netted the other to ensure Rwanda qualified on an away goals rule after the teams tied 4-4 on aggregate. “We are happy to qualify for the next round,” said Rwanda’s captain Niyigena after the match.}

_{In the other second leg match played on Tuesday Ethiopia’s U-23 team lost 1-0 away to the Democratic Republic of Congo in a match played in Kinsasha. The DR Congo team progressed to the next round on a 1-0 goal aggregate.}

_{Rwanda will now face Mali in the second round, while Tanzania take on Nigeria.}

_{The other teams from the CECAFA region Uganda and Sudan will also be in action in the second round against Guinea and Benin respectively. The second round matches will be played October 21–23 for the first leg and October 28–30, 2022 for the second leg matches, and the third round matches for both first and second legs will be played between March 20 and March 28, 2023.}

_{The final AFCON U-23 tournament will be played in Morocco in June, 2023. The tournament will also serve as the qualification process for the Olympic Games.}