Abeddy Biramahire opened the scoring just two minutes into the match, giving Rwanda an early advantage in front of a large home crowd. Leroy-Jacques Mickels doubled the lead in the 33rd minute before Liberia pulled one back through Sylvanus Nimely five minutes later.

Rwanda restored its two-goal advantage shortly before half-time when Joy-Lance Mickels converted a penalty in the 44th minute.

Liberia’s task became more difficult in the second half when forward Kpah Sean Sherman was shown a straight red card in the 61st minute for a foul on Rwanda’s Bonheur Mugisha, leaving the visitors with 10 players for the remainder of the match.

Rwanda managed the game in the second half to secure three points and begin its qualification campaign on a winning note.

The match attracted thousands of supporters to the newly renovated Amahoro Stadium. President Paul Kagame was also among those who attended the game. 

The victory is significant for Rwanda as the team seeks to return to the continental tournament for the first time since its historic debut at AFCON 2004 in Tunisia.

Rwanda came close to ending that wait during the qualifiers for the 2025 edition. The Amavubi finished level with Benin on eight points but missed out on qualification after Benin took the second qualifying position based on their head-to-head record.

The 2027 AFCON finals will be hosted jointly by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, with the qualification campaign featuring 48 teams divided into 12 groups. The top two teams from nine groups will qualify for the finals, while the qualification arrangements in the groups containing the three host nations differ.

Rwanda will next face Cape Verde in Praia on September 29 in their second Group K fixture.