The ex-coaches believe the Amavubi stars played very well against the Cranes and can easily upset the North African giants
Rwanda have received backing to beat Morocco when the two sides clash in their second Group C match on Friday.
The Amavubi will face the North African giants at Stade de la Reunification in Douala at 18:00 knowing very well that defeat will put the team in a precarious position of dropping out of the competition.
Rwanda kicked off their campaign with a 0-0 draw against East African neighbours Uganda while Morocco beat debutants Togo 1-0 to take control of the group.
However, former Rwanda national team coaches Eric Nshimiyimana and Jean Baptiste Kayiranga believe with the kind of game the Amavubi displayed against the Cranes, they have a good chance of hauling maximum points against Morocco.
“I think the team did well against the Cranes and were a bit unlucky not to get all three points,” Nshimiyimana said as quoted by New Times.
“If they display the same compactness and defend in numbers then they have the ability to score to win the match if Tuyisenge gets good supply.
“I strongly believe football is often unpredictable, for instance, we have won many games against big teams in the past so they have the ability to defeat Morocco and Togo.”
On his part, Kayiranga has also echoed Nshimiyimana’s sentiments by stating: “It was a great effort from the boys. It was a collective display from the whole team, moving forward and defending as a unit.”
Ahead of the second game, Rwanda coach Vincent Mashami has called on his players to forget about the result they picked against Uganda and focus on the match.
“We tried our best but it wasn’t enough, so now we have to focus on the next game against Morocco, which we have to win,” Mashami said as quoted by New Times. “I have asked the players to show the same spirit and be ruthless if we are to have a chance of winning.”
On the overall display of his team against Uganda, Mashami said: “I believe we still need to do better at creating chances, the chances we did create were the ones that came through a level of buildup play and moving the ball effectively.
“We showed good movement both on the ball and off it in the first and second half, and it’s going to be interesting to sit down and re-watch the game and dissect it.”
Rwanda will face Morocco in the first match of the group on Friday before Uganda come up against Togo.
