AMAVUBI striker Ernest Sugira has warned his teammates of the dangers to fall complacent following their 1-0 away win against Ethiopia over the weekend as the team looks to qualify for the African Nations Championships (CHAN) next year.
Rwanda will host the return leg at Kigali Stadium on October 19, with the aggregate winner automatically securing a ticket to the 6th CHAN finals tournament, due to be held in Cameroon.
Sugira, 28, who inspired Amavubi with a stunning overhead kick at the hour-mark, has attributed the vital victory and the current four-match winning streak to a ‘great team effort’ before noting that "the harder work lies ahead, we can’t afford room for complacency.”
"Every player contributed greatly to the win. We played fantastic football, and missed several chances, but in the end we managed to score. We deserved the win,” said the APR talisman.
"This is the kind of sheer determination we need to win the second leg.”
Head coach Vincent Mashami has won all his four matches since being appointed as the national team’s interim coach on a three-month deal last month.
Prior to the Ethiopia win, Amavubi beat the Seychelles twice in the 2020 Qatar World Cup qualifiers before upsetting DR Congo in a friendly match in Kinshasa last Wednesday.
Speaking to Times Sport, Mashami hailed his players for their improved maturity and confidence after registering two away wins within just four days.
"The guys were not intimidated by the fact that we were up against a good side, and away from home. It is a sign of improvement in terms of winning mentality, maturity and confidence. They comfortably executed our game plan.”
"Winning in Ethiopia is a good advantage, but we must not lose focus. The tie is not decided yet, so the stakes are still high. Anything can happen.”
Should Rwanda again see off Ethiopia to reach the CHAN finals, each player on the team stands to get $4,000 (about 3.7million) in bonus.
Looking for a fourth appearance in the tournament played exclusively by home-based players, Amavubi qualified for the 2018 CHAN edition – hosted and won by Morocco – after seeing off Ethiopia 3-2 in a two-legged tie.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com