Rwanda ensured it regained its pride in front of its home supporters with a thrilling football encounter against Benin, which ended in a 2-1 victory.

Kick-off was at 18:00 PM, a moment of redemption for Rwanda after suffering at the hands of the same opponent in the previous outing in Côte d'Ivoire, which ended in a resounding 3-0 defeat. Determined to make this a different outing, the spirited Rwandan side rose to the occasion.

Today's match was a reverse fixture, which characterized much pressure and thirst for redemption when it saw them lose 3-0 in Cote d'Ivoire. This was one of the harsh defeats; however, Rwanda came back with fresh determination to fight back for the pride of defending themselves and giving the home crowd something to be happy about.

The game set off at a high tempo, as both teams made their intentions known from the beginning, seeking to boss it from the opening minute. Benin was pretty confident, having lorded over Rwanda in their last match and probably underestimated anything new that came from the latter. Motivated by the avid desire to make up for its failure in the previous game, the Rwandan team combined good cohesion of play with tactical discipline.

Rwanda quickly stamped authority onto the game, as urgency to attack Benin's area of defense was high.

The early exchanges saw Rwanda pushing high up the field and pressing the backline of Benin. This aggressive beginning paid dividends as they broke the deadlock with a finely crafted goal. The first goal sent the home crowd in jubilation and raised the morale of the team for pressure throughout the match.

Benin responded with counter-attacks and bits of pressure, albeit sporadic, but this defensive organization in front of Rwanda was not going to be breached.

This was an absolute intense fight in midfield-to-tussle-both-team application for control of the game. However, it was quite evident how Rwanda's hunger for redemption outdid the opposing team's urgency to assert themselves.

Just like in the first half, determined efforts paid dividends a second time as Rwanda bossed proceedings with pace and purpose. A quick counter-attacking move presented the second goal for Rwanda, cushioning 2-0 and deflating what seemed left of the hopes of Benin coming back into the match.

Benin never lied down and died as in dying minutes they managed to pull one back and gave themselves a glimmer of hope for an equalizer. However, their late efforts could not dent the solid Rwanda defence as the home side saw out the game and recorded the much-needed victory.

This win means more than three points to Rwanda. It has been a turning point from the disappointment of their previous match-a comprehensive defeat at the hands of the same Benin. The home win revived the spirit of Rwanda and served as a statement that the team is capable of bouncing back from setbacks.

It was more of a victory to celebrate the fighting spirit of the team and its ability to respond when put under pressure. It further cemented the growing belief that this is a performance Rwanda can continue to build on for better results in future competitions.

The victory also gave Rwanda much-needed momentum into the next round. The team will thus leave this match confident in the ability to rebound from such a heartbreaking loss earlier in the competition.

As for Benin, today's defeat will be tough to digest given the earlier victory in the first-leg encounter against Rwanda here in Côte d'Ivoire. But they will no doubt scrutinize what went wrong and come back stronger.

A home win reopens the case for Rwanda as a bid to restore pride while gaining momentum in building up to future matches. It is a team now able to compete at the highest level, and this win will no doubt further fuel their ambitions going forward.

Today's 2-1 win against Benin was a testimony to the resoluteness of this team, their tactical discipline, and a will to overcome adverse situations. Well-deserved, it brought joy to Rwandan fans and reawakened hope in the future of the team.