CHAN 2018: Rwanda seek win against Equatorial Guinea

Friday Group CLibya vs Nigeria - 6:30pmRwanda vs Eq. Guinea - 9:30pm Rwanda will be seeking for nothing less than win when they take on Equatorial Guinea in the second game of Group C to boost their chances of qualifying to the quarter final of the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Morocco. Amavubi, who played goalless draw against Nigeria in opening game on Monday, will be hoping to get maximum points against Eq. Guinea a team at the bottom of the table at Grande Stade de Tanger. Equatorial Guinea lost their opener 3-0 against Libya. Rwanda now sits third on the group standings, tied on one point with Nigeria, who face Libya on Friday at 6:30pm. Libya tops the standings with three points. Todays game is crucial for Antoine Hey’s troops who will come all out in search for a win to boost their last eight qualifications hopes. Looking ahead to the game, Hey said, “The match against Equatorial Guinea is a different scenario and we will approach the match a little a bit different. Equatorial Guinea is very much under pressure to win the second match after they lost the first. So we expect to face a team that is fighting for survival.” “We will aim for victory against Equatorial Guinea, the seemed to lack pace in the first match but we must be wary them because play collectively and can cause some problems. They will come all out. We have the advantage of having had enough time to acclimatize with the climate because we had a training camp in Tunisia in January, where the climatic conditions are similar,” added the German-born coach. The Amavubi goalkeeper and captain, Eric ‘Bakame’ Ndayishimiye noted, “Our aim is to win against Equatorial Guinea. The morale is good after the draw against Nigeria. Now, we have to win. A win against Equatorial Guinea will allow us to stay in the race to qualify for the second round.” However, Equatorial Guinea coach Rodolfo Bodipo said, “The Rwanda match is our last chance in this tournament, if we want to qualify for the second round. We will face a good team, which everyone expected to lose against Nigeria.” “During that match, they showed some quality. Our players are learning the ropes at this tournament. Our aim is to get our players to play for clubs within Africa and even Europe to gain exposure. We want to honour our country and therefore, we will do our utmost to beat Rwanda. We have corrected our mistakes against Libya and asked the players to play the game without pressure,” added Bodipo. In the other Group C match between Libya and Nigeria, Saleh Al Taher, who scored a brace against Equatorial Guinea, is the danger man for the Mediterranean Knights and he will be keen to inspire his side to another victory. The player to watch out for in the Nigeria squad is Rabiu Ali, who scored twice for his nation at the 2017 WAFU Cup of Nations in Ghana. Nigeria coach Salisu Yusuf has admitted that they expect a difficult game against Libya, who won the competition in 2014, in South Africa. Meanwhile, debutants Namibia secured a second successive injury-time victory at the 2018 African Nations Championship to join Group B rivals Zambia in the quarter-finals. The Brave Warriors defeated Uganda 1-0 at the Marrakech Stadium in Morocco on Thursday night, having overcome Ivory Coast in a similar fashion on Sunday. The result means Zambia, who beat Ivory Coast 2-0 earlier on Thursday evening and Namibia have joined Morocco and Sudan (both Group A) in the last eight, while the Cranes and Elephants, who will face off in the last group game, have both been eliminated. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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CHAN 2018: Rwanda seek win against Equatorial Guinea