Rwanda cautious ahead of Uganda tie

Rwanda head coach Johnny McKinstry is wary of Uganda in the upcoming second round first leg tie of the Caf under-23 Championship qualifier scheduled for May 23 at Amahoro Stadium.

The Irish tactician has termed the encounter a ‘local rivalry’ that he believes will bring out the best in both sides but he admitted that it will be a tough face-off.
“We know it is going to be a difficult game because a local rivalry changes the psychology of the players with both sides up for the game.
However, the players have to make sure that this does not get in the way of their roles and responsibilities and they have to execute the game plan,” said McKinstry.
Rwanda were held to a 1-1 by Somalia in Djibouti on Sunday but the former progressed to the second round 3-1 on aggregate following a 2-0 win in Kigali with goals from Yannick Mukunzi and 16-year-old Kevin Muhire.
McKinstry was not entirely satisfied with the performance in Djibouti and rued several missed chances, including goalscorer Isaie Songa’s missed one-on-one attempts against Somalia’s goalkeeper Mustaf Khalib Hussein.
He said: “We need to correct a few things from the Somalia game. For example we created so many chances but we didn't take them.
If we don’t take them against Uganda, they can equally punish us. If we step up to our task in terms of finishing, we shall get a positive result.”
The winner of this tie meets Egypt in the final round of qualification and the victor from that tie will qualify for the Caf under-23 Championships scheduled for December 5-19 in Senegal. The top three sides will qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympics.