SaturdayRwanda 2-0 Uganda (Agg. 2-3) Amavubi head coach registered his first win in a competitive match as his team defeated archrivals Uganda Cranes 2-0 in the 2018 CHAN third qualifying round, second leg on Saturday at Kigali Stadium. But it was not enough as Rwanda missed out on a ticket to the finals tournament, leaving Uganda, who had won the first leg 3-0 a week earlier in Kampala, to represent the Eastern and Central African Zone along with Sudan and the hosts Kenya. Speaking in a post-match news conference, Hey expressed his disappointment for failure to get more goals despite his team taking a 2-0 lead 16 minutes into the game. But the German tactician tipped his youthful side to improve and do much better in future competitions. It was Hey’s first win in five competitive matches as Amavubi head coach. “It was good to score two early goals, but we failed to add another,” Hey told the media. “We started very well but after 20 minutes, we somehow lost the enthusiasm and pressure to score more goals although we created so many good scoring chances throughout the 90 minutes, which we missed,” he noted. However, the former Kenya coach added, “Despite the failure to qualify, the boys did a great job today. The amazing thing is that most of the players are still young and have long careers ahead of them, the future looks really bright for the team.” APR attacking midfielder Yannick Mukunzi gave Rwanda the lead after eight minutes from a corner before defender Thierry Manzi headed in the second goal in the 16th minute. With Amavubi needing just a goal to force the tie to penalties, Uganda Cranes resisted and managed to avoid conceding a third goal. In a separate interview, Uganda Cranes head coach Moses Basena admitted that, “We made a very poor start and we conceded two goals in the first 20 minutes, which is frustrating. But I’m thankful for the boys to hold on against a very physical Rwandan side.” Sudan ousted Ethiopia 2-1 on aggregate to qualify for CHAN finals for the second time after hosting the 2nd edition in 2011. The CHAN finals tournament will be held from January 12 to February 4. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
