Rayon Sports beat Muhazi 2-1 to claim three points in their 9th consecutive win in the Rwanda Premier League, ahead of their clash with APR FC, who dropped points to Police FC.
Olivier Niyonzima netted two early goals on Wednesday night, extending the Blues’ winning run, while their rivals, APR, were held to a draw by Police FC at the same venue earlier.
Olivier Niyonzima ‘Seif’ broke the deadlock with a beautiful header from Hakim Bugingo’s well-taken free kick, giving Gikundiro an early lead in the 11th minute.
A few minutes later, Fall Ngagne, the league’s leading scorer, found the back of the net, but the first assistant referee, Said Ndayisaba, ruled the goal offside.
Rayon Sports continued to dominate the Eastern Province-based club, bolstered by the support of their fan base. For the results, Olivier Niyonzima, who is not usually a starter, doubled the lead with another brilliant header in the 25th minute.
Niyonzima scored once more with a header, this time from a perfectly delivered corner by Kevin Muhire.
With a 2-0 lead at the break, some of the Blues’ fans started to think about the next match. However, Emmanuel Ruremesha’s Muhazi team turned things around in the second half and put pressure on Rayon Sports.
Substitute Nicolas Kagaba pulled one back in the 56th minute, boosting the morale of the team, which was clearly dominating possession.
Robertinho shook up his bench and introduced Rogers Kanamugire and Adama Bagayoko to shore up the midfield and help contain Muhazi. The changes kept them in the game until the final whistle.
Rayon Sports’ unbeaten run has now reached 11 matches, though their streak of clean sheets ended at 8. Their strong form sets the stage for Saturday’s highly anticipated clash against APR in the 1000 Hills Derby.
Earlier at the same venue, APR drew 1-1 with Police FC in a “security entities battle.”
Abedi Bigirimana put Police ahead 10 minutes after kick-off, before Aliou Souane leveled the score in the same half.
The army team should have scored a second, but Onesime Rukundo saved Mamadou Sy’s penalty.
The draw hurt APR, who are still chasing the leaders, Rayon Sports. They remain in fifth place with 18 points from 9 matches.
Gikundiro moved 9 points clear at the top of the standings after their 9th consecutive win, bringing their total to 29 points from 11 matches.
AS Kigali holds second place with 20 points, having played the same number of matches as Rayon Sports.
These Wednesday results set the tone for Saturday’s derby, and the question now is: “Will the defending champions APR stop the high-flying Rayon Sports in front of a packed Modern Amahoro Stadium?”
Rendez-vous, Saturday, December 7, 6 PM.
