Rwanda eye win over Libya

RWANDA’S Wasps are upbeat ahead of Sunday’s Orange Africa Nations Cup Morocco 2015 first round qualifier against Libya which will be played at the 65000-seater Stade Olympique on the outskirts of Tunis. Interim head coach Andre Cassa Mbungo told Saturday Sport before the team jetted out to Tunisia mid this week that Rwanda can shock Libya’s Mediterranean Knights and put one foot in the next round of qualifiers. “Libya is a strong squad, ranked in the top 65 worldwide and they have experience more than our team does. We are going to confront them with greater determination in a bid to register positive results in the first leg,” Mbungo said. “We have to improve our competitive mood and if we can eliminate Libya, I am very sure we can get into the top 100 Fifa rankings. I think qualification to the next round is very much possible and we will go into Sunday’s game to fight until the end such that we can realise our dream of restoring the lost pride of our nation in as far as football is concerned,” he added. The Wasps interim boss said the blend of the youth and experienced players would bode well for his side. “We are ready for any kind of challenge Libya will throw at us and playing away in the first leg is also an advantage to us; it leaves us with an option of ensuring a win away and maximum concentration in the return leg,” added Mbungo who named a 20-man Wasps team which includes four players who helped AS Kigali reach the 1/8th round of the Africa Confederation Cup. The squad is also boosted by three foreign based players, Dady Birori (AS Vita, DRC), Elias Uzamukunda (AS Cannes, France) and skipper Haruna Niyonzima (Young Africans). Rwanda will go into Sunday’s game as underdogs, having fallen twice to Janvier Clemente’s Libya in two of their previous meetings. The reigning Chan champions beat Rwanda 2-0 and 1-0 in two friendly matches played in 2012 and 2013. The return leg will be played in Kigali on May 30 with the winner of the two-legged encounter facing either Namibia or the Republic of Congo in the next round. Should Rwanda go through in both rounds, they will book a place in Group A, to face the likes of defending champions Nigeria, South Africa and Sudan.