McKinstry praises Amavubi, aims higher

Wednesday Group A Rwanda 2-1 GabonMorocco 0-1 Ivory Coast Amavubi head coach Johnny McKinstry has said his side will be looking to improve with every match after winning their first two games against Ivory Coast and Gabon in Group A in the ongoing African Nations Championships (CHAN). The 30-year old says he is very pleased with his players’ performance after becoming the first man to lead Rwanda to the knockout stage of a major competition. Amavubi were the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals of CHAN 2016. Striker Ernest Sugira, who was drafted in the starting line-up by coach McKinstry in the place of Danny Usengimana, netted either side of the break to make it two wins in a row for Rwanda. “The boys need credit because they have been working hard and we are looking forward to the last game which we’ll try to win it. “We are not celebrating because this is only the start of the competition,” McKinstry said after his team’s 2-1 win over Gabon ob Wednesday at Amahoro National Stadium in Kigali. He added, “We were looking to get out of the group and that is a big achievement and for us to go far in this competition means we have to raise our level in every game.” In the last eight, hosts Rwanda will play one of the teams in Group C, most likely DR Congo or Cameroon, teams that Amavubi have faced recently—drawing 1-1 with the Indomitable Lions and beat DR Congo 1-0 in warm-up games in the lead up to the CHAN finals. Forward Aaron Boupendza netted for Gabon on Wednesday, and, just as a comeback looked to be on the cards, Tchen Kabi saw red following a second bookable offence. “We are disappointed with the result because we wanted to win the game to boost our chances but that’s part of the football, we had three open chances but we failed to find the net,” said Gabon head coach Stéphane Bounguendz. He noted that, “We tried our best but it wasn’t enough, so now we have to focus on the last game against Ivory Coast, which we will have to win. I am still confident that we can win the game and qualify for the quarter-finals.” Rwanda and Morocco will meet on Sunday at Amahoro National Stadium while Ivory Coast and Gabon will face off at Huye Stadium at the same day. Table Team PD W D L Pts Rwanda 2 2 0 0 6Ivory Coast 2 1 0 1 3Morocco 2 0 1 1 1Gabon 2 0 1 1 1 editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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McKinstry praises Amavubi, aims higher