Friday (second-leg) Rayon vs AS Kigali (Agg: 1-0) Gasogi vs Hope (Agg: 2-2) Unity vs Mukura (Agg: 3-0) Intare vs Interforce (Agg: 3-0)
AS Kigali skipper Tumaine ‘Titi’ Ntamuhanga is confident that his side can bounce back to see off Rayon Sports in the Peace Cup tournament when the two teams meet in the decisive clash on Friday.
The game gets underway 3pm, at Kigali Stadium.
The 2013 Peace Cup winners have a mountain to climb against Roberto Oliveira’s men who are unbeaten in their last eighteen games in all competitions. The Blues also take on AS Kigali at the back of an unprecedented ten-game winning streak.
Speaking to Times Sport on Thursday, Tumaine said that "Although we lost the first-leg; the tie is won over two legs. We have not given up, and we will fight as hard as we can to get the result we want.”
Centre-back Ange Mutsinzi’s lone goal at stoppage time made the all-important difference on Tuesday as Rayon edged closer to the last sixteen in the country’s second biggest club competition.
Tumaine, a former APR midfielder, further added: "We, as a team, understand the magnitude of the task at hand. We need to have a positive mindset and winning attitude from start to the final whistle, and we are confident that advancing to the next round is still possible.”
In a separate interview, his Rayon Sports counterpart Thierry Manzi cautioned his teammates not to underrate AS Kigali despite their 1-0 advantage.
"We know we have advantage but that won’t influence how we approach the game on Friday. Our target is to win the title, and that calls for full focus against any and every opponent.”
The former Isonga defender insists that Rayon view every game as a final in the tournament.
AS Kigali will be without midfielder Eric ‘Zidane’ Nsabimana who was sent off late in the first-leg after a hard tackle on Rayon Sports’ Brazilian forward Jonathan Rafael da Silva.
In-form Rayon are on the hunt for the club’s first domestic double after clinching their ninth Azam Rwanda Premier League title last week.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com