DESPITE seeing his side beat Ethiopia 3-2 in the first leg of CHAN play-offs, Rwanda team captain Eric 'Bakame' Ndayishimiye has warned that it is not over yet as the country looks to seal a ticket to next year’s finals tournament in Morocco.
Nov. 12Second legRwanda Vs Ethiopia
SaturdayEthiopia 2-3 Rwanda
DESPITE seeing his side beat Ethiopia 3-2 in the first leg of CHAN play-offs, Rwanda team captain Eric ‘Bakame’ Ndayishimiye has warned that it is not over yet as the country looks to seal a ticket to next year’s finals tournament in Morocco.
Rwanda defeated Ethiopia 3-2 in the first leg of 2018 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) finals play-off qualifier in Addis Ababa on Sunday.
Speaking after the match, Ndayishimiye said: "We have just played the first leg, so we need to finish the job in Kigali. It is not easy to play against Ethiopia, they are a good team and hard to beat and we expect a tough second leg.”
The team captain cautioned that the win in the first leg was a job half done. "We came here looking for nothing but a win and we’re happy we got it, but the job is not finished yet, we are going to prepare for the second leg in the best way possible, it’s not over yet, anything can happen in Kigali,” Ndayishimiye said.
In the first leg, Girma Aschalew gave Ethiopia the lead in the 18th minute but Rayon Sports left-back Eric Rutanga equalised for Amavubi with a wonderful free kick in the 55th minute.
The Wallias restored their lead in the 65th minute through Abubakher Sanni but APR attacking midfielder Muhajiri Hakizimana, who came on as a second half substitute, leveled again for Rwanda in the 78th minute before Police FC striker Abeddy Biramahire clinched the winner two minutes later.
The away victory boosted chances of Antoine Hey’s team to qualify for the finals of Africa’s second biggest international competition, which is reserved for players, who feature in their respective domestic leagues. The draw for the finals tournament is scheduled for November 17 in Morocco and the finals tournament will run from January 12 to February 4 next year.
"They play really nice and entertaining football, but they have weaknesses in defence, we knew they can score but can also concede when put under pressure,” noted the Rayon Sports’ shot-stopper.
Amavubi only need a draw in second leg to book their ticket to Morocco. The winner over the two legs will join Uganda and Sudan as representatives of the CECAFA region.
Rwanda took part in the 2011 edition held in Sudan, before hosting the 2016 edition when they reached the quarter-final round, losing to eventual winners DR Congo.
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