Egyptian giants Zamalek secured a hard fought 1-0 victory over Rwanda’s APR FC after scoring in the 89th minute of their CAF Champions League second preliminary round first leg on Friday at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.
With the two sides locked at 0-0 at half time, APR FC remained resilient against their more illustrious opponents and appeared on course to earn a valuable home draw. However, Zamalek found the breakthrough in the closing stages, striking just a minute before the end of normal time to silence the home supporters.
The late goal handed the Egyptian side a crucial advantage ahead of the return leg in Cairo, where they will look to complete the job and advance to the next round of the competition.
Despite the narrow defeat, APR FC can take encouragement from their disciplined performance and will need to produce an improved attacking display in the second leg to overturn the deficit.
The Rwandan champions must now regroup and prepare for a difficult challenge in Egypt, knowing that qualification remains within reach if they can deliver a strong performance away from home.
