Coach Yves Rwasamanzi was full of praise for striker Eric Irahamye after the youngster bagged a hat trick as Rwanda thrashed South Sudan 3-0 in their opening game at the Cecafa U-15 boys Challenge Cup on Saturday.

The two-week tournament is being hosted in Eritrea.

The Under-15 Amavubi were in excellent form as they put South Sudan on the sword to register a bright start to their title challenge.

Sensational Irahamye netted his three goals in the 43rd, 73rd and 79th minutes, respectively.

Commenting on Irahamye’s performance after the match, Rwasamanzi said, "I am not surprised with his performance, Irahamye is very talented and I believe he will keep getting better. Certainly he is very well aware of what he is capable of.”

"I actually I hope there is a lot more to come from him. He was wonderful today but the whole team performed excellently and I can’t be happier.”

He added, "We didn’t play to our best in the first half with boys losing so many balls but we managed to return stronger in the second half. We picked some pivotal lessons, which will help us improve our performance in the next games.

I like the way the team is playing but obviously there is room for improvement.”

In another Group B match, Uganda humiliated Ethiopia 3-0, with striker Devis Ogwal scoring a brace while Abasi Kyeyune scored the other goal for the title hopefuls.

Rwanda shares the same pool (B) with Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania and South Sudan.

Rwasamanzi’s side will be in action again on Wednesday, against Ethiopia, then take on Tanzania on Friday, August 23, before winding up their group campaign with Uganda on August 25.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com