Amavubi back to drawing board after Mauritius loss

After suffering a setback in their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Mauritius on Saturday, Rwanda national football team have shifted focus to the return leg on Tuesday in Kigali at Amahoro National Stadium.

Mauritius beat Amavubi 1-0 in Belle Vue to register their second victory in Group H. Amavubi, who dropped to third with three points, arrived in Kigali on Sunday morning and will continue their preparations ahead of the return leg as the New Times reports.

A goal from Francis Rasolofonirina on the hour mark at a sunny Anjalay Stadium gave Mauritius the win and the host had missed several opportunities in the first half when Kevin Abru’s two shots hit the post.

Best chances for Rwanda came from Jean-Claude Iranzi, Elias Uzamukunda and Jean Baptiste Mugiraneza, Quentin Rushenguziminega and skipper Haruna Niyonzima but failed to beat Mauritius goalie, Jean Louis Kevin.

After the game, Amavubi head coach Johnny McKinstry said, “Everyone is very disappointed with today’s (Saturday) result. We have to be honest and say the performance simply wasn’t good enough.”

“Mauritius did not surprise us with their approach to the game. They played exactly the way we expected and we knew that the key to causing them problems was to play at high intensity.

Unfortunately, it took Mauritius to score for our players to move out of third gear, and into fifth. I have made it clear to players that this is not good enough, and they are under no illusions about what is required going forward,” he added.

The Northern Irishman noted, “We do however have an opportunity to recover from this disappointment, when we face Mauritius again on Tuesday in Kigali. The players know that better is expected of them not only by the technical staff and I, but also from each other.”

Rwanda’s chance to qualify for the 2017 AFCON finals in Gabon lies in winning the remaining three games against Mauritius on Tuesday, Mozambique in June and Ghana in September.

UMUSEKE.RW