By Admin,

Captain Farouk Miya and substitute Muzamiru Mutyaba netted for Uganda as the visitors defeated Rwanda 2-1 in the first leg of the Caf under-23/Rio Olympic qualifier second round tie at the Amahoro Stadium on Saturday evening.

Miya opened the scoring in the ninth minute with a splendid free-kick inches from outside the penalty box past the Rwandan wall to hand the visitors an early lead.

Centre referee Souleiman Ahmed Djamal handed Uganda the free-kick after Rwanda’s goalkeeper Olivier Kwizera handled the ball with one leg outside the penalty box. Miya found the back of the net on the near post, leaving Kwizera with no chance to make a save.

The Ugandans controlled the game thereafter but any attempts subsequently were saved by an alert Kwizera.

In the second half, the home side displayed an urge to equalise and in the 59th minute, a counter attack orchestrated by a well-coordinated combination in midfield saw youngster Dominique Savio Nshuti slot home the equaliser to send the crowd into celebrations.

However, a lapse in concentration coupled with defensive mistakes 10 minutes later saw substitute Muzamiru Mutyaba find the back of an open net after Kwizera stepped out of goal.

Uganda coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic said: “We won this game because of Miya’s moments of brilliance and the impact of the substitute player who scored important goals for us.”

However, his counterpart Johnny McKinstry was left frustrated: “I am very frustrated looking back at the game.

There were a couple of shots from distance that Olivier dealt with okay. The second goal, our defence did something crazy. They were drawn out and when you are in problem areas like that, you just get rid of the ball. Young men make these mistakes and if the players can understand the consequences of their mistakes in a competitive environment they can fix them for a hopeful selection for the senior team.”

The winner of this tie will meet Egypt in the final round of qualification for the Caf under-23 Championship that will be held in Dakar, Senegal, from November 28-December 12. The top three at this tournament will qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.