Rayon players cautioned ahead of CAF return leg

Saturday Preliminary round First Leg Al Salam Wau 0-4 Rayon Sports Second leg, Feb, 19 Rayon Sports vs Al Wau Salam Despite having a comfortable lead over Al Wau Salam in the CAF Confederation Cup, Rayon Sports head coach Djuma Masudi has urged his team not to take anything for granted heading into the second leg this weekend in Kigali. The Rwandan Peace Cup winner registered the biggest away win in a CAF competition after walloping their South Sudanese opponents 4-0 in the preliminary round first leg clash played on Saturday at Wau Stadium in Juba. Midfielder Savio Dominique Nshuti put the visitors ahead in the 55th minute before Pierrot Kwizera netted in the 68th minute to make it 2-0. Nova Bayama added the third goal in the 80th minute while Malian striker Moussa Camara completed the rout a minute to full time. Masudi’s side will be favourites to complete the job and book a place in the next round. Winners of both the preliminary round and round of 16 will after drawing of lots, be placed into four groups of four teams each. After a round-robin of matches (home and away), the top two teams in each group will qualify for the quarter-finals. “This is the best win we have had away from home, but more important, it is the best football we have played in a long time. I’m particularly happy with the players’ discipline and their work ethic throughout the match,” Masudi said in a post-match interview. The former Burundi international noted that, “The win looked comfortable because we played so well. Our opponents (Al Wau Salam) played well too and had their chances but we were just too good for them, now we want to finish the job in Kigali.” “We are happy to win the game and we are looking to qualify for the next round but we cannot afford to take anything for granted; the ambition is to win the second leg, which would further boost our confidence going into the next round,” added Masudi. The ex-Rayon Sports captain noted that Saturday’s performance and result would surely shore up their belief that they can reach far in the CAF Confederation Cup. “We have to look forward to the next game at home and continue to prepare for other matches we have ahead. I like the way the team is playing but obviously there is room for improvement,” added former APR and Rayon Sports striker. The second leg will be played on Sunday at Amahoro National Stadium with the aggregate winner taking on Onze Creatures of Mali in the first qualification round. editorial@newtimes.co.rw