Nshimiyimana revels in Amavubi form

QuarterfinalsTodayNyayo stadiumZambia v Zanzibar 2pmUganda v Kenya 4pm TuesdayTanzania v Eritrea 2pmRwanda v Zimbabwe 4pm Nairobi – Not very many gave either him or his team a chance of making it past the group stage but Amavubi Stars interim Coach Eric Nshimiyimana is full of confidence going into tomorrow’s Cecafa-Orange Challenge Cup quarterfinal clash with Zimbabwe. He isn’t setting himself any unrealistic targets but Nshimiyimana believes his team can defy odds and go all the way to the regional title. If he achieves it, he will become only the second man to do it after Yaounde Kanyankole, who guided Rwanda to her only Cecafa title in 1999 with Rwanda B when the tournament was played on home soil for the first time. “Our target is to win each game we play and that includes the final if we get there. When we came here, the target was to take each game as it comes and see where we end up and here we are in the quarterfinals,” Nshimiyimana told Times Sport at the team’s camp at Central Park hotel in Nairobi city center. He revealed how he’s surprised by the manner is which his players have improved since the first game against Somalia, which they struggled to win 1-0 courtesy of an own goal by a Somali defender. “The players, much as most of them are very inexperienced at this level, are showing a lot more commitment (to the cause) than what we had during last year’s tournament in Kampala where we had a squad full of senior players. “What I am telling them is to show commitment and they’ve not disappointed, you can see it with the way they’re improving with each game we play. “To say I’m happy with what they’ve done do so far would be an understatement but I am happy and with that, am confident we can go all the way,” Nshimiyimana, who was given the team on a short term after the sacking of Branko Tucak noted. Rwanda won all their group games, beating Somalia 1-0, Eritrea 2-1 and Cosafa champions Zimbabwe 1-0 on Saturday. Ends

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Nshimiyimana revels in Amavubi form