APR FC head coach Jimmy Mulisa has said his side lack the character and experience to break CAF Champions League jinx.

He was speaking after watching the Azam Rwanda National League champions crash out of the 2017 Total CAF Champions League at the hands of Zambia’s Zanaco FC on Saturday at Amahoro National Stadium.

The Zambians won the return leg of the preliminary round 1-0 a week after the two sides had settled for a 0-0 in Lusaka.

The 16-time record Rwandan league champions saw their hopes to advance to the first round of the 53rd edition of Africa’s premier club football tournament rather come to a premature end after losing to seven-time Zambian  league champions Zanaco in front of the former’s fans.

Taonga Bwembya converted a brilliantly taken free-kick from 20 yards past APR goalkeeper Emery Mvuyekure in the 17th minute which proved enough to hand his side victory and passage to the next round.

Mulisa blamed the loss on the inexperience of his players at the continental level and admitted his players panicked after conceding an early goal.

"If you saw how we played in Zambia and how we played here, one would say that if we had played again like we did in Zambia, we would have easily won the game, but we lacked the character and determination necessarily for champions league,” said Mulisa

The military-side have over the last two decades dominated local football winning a record 16 league titles and eight Peace Cup titles. They have also won three regional CECAFA titles.

However, APR have failed to make their mark at the continental level where they have never gone past the first round both in CAF champions league and Confederation Cup. 

"There are mistakes you can’t do when you are playing in the Champions League and today we made several of them,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mulisa’s  counterpart, MumambaNumba, said:" We knew that APR’s strength was the midfield so we decided to pack it and play with a lone striker. Scoring early also helped take away pressure from us and onto APR.”

Zanaco will now face Yanga in the first round with the Tanzanian side hosting the first leg in Dar-es-Salaam on the weekend of March 10-12 before traveling to Lusaka the following weekend.

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