Rwanda women head coach Grace Nyinawumuntu has heaped praise on her players for working together as team after putting up an impressive display during their 3-3 draw against Uganda in the first leg of the Paris 2024 Games qualifiers at Kigali Pele Stadium on Wednesday.
Rwanda, who played the first leg as visitors, had to twice come from behind with substitute Usanase Zawadi scoring a brilliant late goal to force a draw in the East African derby and keep her team's Paris 2024 qualification hopes alive ahead of the second leg on July 16.
"We got this result because they played as a team," said Nyinawumuntu after the game adding, "we studied how the Ugandan team played, I myself analyzed and revised their tactics, so I had a clear plan to stop them. I knew their strength and weaknesses; I was aware of their attacking threats but also their weaknesses in defense,"
"I told my players, at the break, to be more confident on the ball, build their game in Uganda's half to avoid errors that can lead us to unexpected count attacks."
The pair returns to action for the second leg clash slated for Sunday 15 at Kigali Pele Stadium, and Nyinawumuntu is confident that her ladies can finish the job with a win and advance to the next round.
"Our ambitions for the second leg is to avoid conceding a single goal and trying to at least score a goal. We know that a win or a draw below three goals will be to our advantage, so that's what we will try to do. But that doesn't mean that we will play a defensive game," the former AS Kigali coach said.
Rwanda finished the match without its first goalkeeper Angeline Ndakimana who hobbled off the pitch due to an injury and, in her absence, Nyinawumuntu will rely on the services of Diane Uwamahoro.
"We have a good medical staff who will do their job but if it also doesn't work for Ndakimana, we will count on other goalkeepers and I believe we will have no crisis in the goal," she said.
The winner of the qualifier between Rwanda and Uganda will face Cameroon in the next round.
The next Olympic Games will take place in Paris, France, from July 26 to August 11, 2024 where Rwanda will be looking to represent Africa in the women's football competition for the first time ever in the country's history.
