Friendly matchesFridayNigeria 5-0 RwandaSundayNigeria 3-0 RwandaTHE U-17 head coach Richard Tardy is hopeful Rwanda will qualify for the African championship in Morocco despite losing 8-0 in two-legged international friendlies against Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets over the weekend.The Junior Wasps conceded 0-5 in their first friendly match against Nigeria U-17 team on Friday before suffering another 0-3 loss to the same side on Sunday morning at the UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabar.According to Tardy, playing against Nigeria at this stage of the team’s preparation was a real challenge.“This is the first real match since we started our programme about one month ago. The two losses show there is work to be done before we play Malawi or Botswana in October,”“But Im hopeful about our chances of qualifying for the next African championship in Morocco,” added Tardy who doubles as Rwanda’s technical director.The Junior Wasps was over-dominated as they stood stoutly at the back. They lost concentration in the second half of both matches giving a chance to Golden Eagles to convert clear cut-out chances that came their way.But Tardy commended the efforts of his team since it was the first time they are playing a match of such magnitude and these matches will offer him a clear-cut chance of looking and picking able players for the trip to Southern Africa in October.Last year, Rwanda reached the final of the U-17 African Championship only hosted in Kigali to lose to Burkina Faso 2-1 but earned maiden qualification to compete at the Fifa U-17 World Cup held in Mexico.The team is expected in Kigali this evening aboard RwandAir from Lagos.
