AS Kigali target Cup glory

In the wake of finishing second on the league table standings, AS Kigali head coach Eric Nshimiyimana looks back at a mediocre away record that ultimately affected their title ambitions. AS Kigali amassed 49 points from 14 wins, seven draws and five losses to finish three points behind champions APR but it is the missed chances to go top of the table that haunt Nshimiyimana. The City of Kigali-sponsored side lost 2-0 to Marines in Rubavu, was held to 1-1 by Espoir in Rusizi, lost to Gicumbi 1-0 in Gicumbi and was held to a goalless by Amagaju in Nyamagabe. “It bothers us that our away record was not what we wanted it to be but if you look at these upcountry teams, they were not easy to beat at home. They were really tough,” explained Nshimiyimana. In Rubavu, Marines held APR to a 1-1 draw before stunning Police 3-1 and also managed a 1-1 draw against Rayon Sports however, AS Kigali managed to pick a 1-0 win against Sunrise in Rwamagana on the first day of the season, a venue where APR lost 3-0 while Rayon Sports and Police were both held to 1-1 draws. Nshimiyimana feels that his side has to improve their away record as well as get better against the big teams. AS Kigali picked 12 points out of a possible 24 against the top five teams including APR, Police, Sunrise and Rayon Sports. In the first round, AS Kigali beat Sunrise 1-0, lost to APR 2-1 before Police held them to a goalless draw but found redemption in defeating a struggling Rayon Sports 2-1. In the second round, Sunrise pulled off a shock 1-1 draw in Kigali before AS Kigali settled for a goalless draw against APR. The former lost to Police 1-0 before completing a double against Rayon Sports beating them 1-0. “We are happy to have finished in second place even though we wanted to finish first. We have to sit down and analyze where we went wrong,” mentioned Nshimiyimana. Focus on Peace Cup The former Amavubi midfielder wants to lead AS Kigali to Peace Cup glory this season and he believes his side has what it takes to achieve this set target for a chance to represent Rwanda at the 2016 CAF Confederations Cup. Having won the 2014 Ombudsman Cup after seeing off Police FC 1-0 in the final, Nshimiyimana admits that league football is completely different from tournament football. AS Kigali had earlier defeated APR 3-1 in a penalty shootout in the semi-finals following a 1-1 draw at full time. “With the league, you know that you can always aim at getting three points from your next game but with tournament football, you have to perform at the very best and keep improving as the tournament progresses otherwise you will be knocked out when you slip up,” explained Nshimiyimana. AS Kigali won the 2013 Peace Cup under Andre Cassa Mbungo and represented Rwanda at the CAF Confederation Cup and went up to the third round of the continental showpiece after seeing off Burundi’s Academie Tchite 2-1 in the preliminary round and shocking Sudan’s Al Ahly Shandy 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 aggregate in the first round. They fell to Morocco’s Difaa El Jadida 3-1 on aggregate in the second round. editorial@newtimes.co.rw