“Rwanda derby” lives up to the bill as APR overcome Rayon Sport 4-3 in a thrilling encounter

VISITORS to Rwanda witnessed the full passion in the country’s hugest soccer “derby” when Rayon Sport and APR contested the quarter-finals of the Cecafa Kagame Cup Club Championship on Tuesday at Nyamirambo Stadium, Kigali, Rwanda.
APR edge out Rayon in passion-filled ‘Kigali Derby’ 3-4 on post match penalties.

Rwanda Police also sailed to Friday afternoon’s semi-finals after beating Atletico from Burundi, 9-8 on post match penalties .They will meet APR, a team that won the Kagame Cup in 2004, 2007 and 2010

The Kigali Regional Stadium in Nyamirambo was full to the rafters by the time these two giants took the pitch at 5pm. This was culmination of what had started at 2.30pm when, first, another Rwandan side, Police faced Burundi’s Atletico in another quarters tie.

Newly appointed Ministers, Joe Habineza of Sports and Culture and James Kabarebe of Defence – sworn in by President Paul Kagame on Monday — led hundreds of dignitaries and thousands of Rwandans at the stadium to cheer on an epic double-header.

Dramatic kicks

The majority are those who saw their beloved Rayon Sport bow out of the competition after being edged out 4-3 on penalty shoot-out by the illustrious APR after a 2-2 tie in regulation time.

Earlier, Police a recently emerging power in Rwanda football, also edged Atletico of Burundi 9-8 dramatic kicks following a 0-0 score in 90 minutes.

Blew chance

The draw had charted out the course for the possibility of an unprecedented all-Rwanda Final but to the despair of local followers, APR blew the chance by failing to top their Group ‘B’ in the preliminaries.

If they had, they would have gone to the lower half of the knock-out, avoiding Rwanda opposition until the Final.

The crucial match that stopped APR was the 0-1 loss to Uganda’s KCCA [Kampala Capital City Authority] on Sunday.

Police 0-0 [9-8] Atletico

 A very polished Police side was forced to labour to near total exhaustion by a tactical Atletico as the heavy odds to win for the Rwanda team were thrown out of the window.

It was Atletico goalie Emedi Kandolo Akimana, ironically announced man-of-the-match at the end, who failed with his last kick of the shoot-out for the Burundians as all 22 men on the pitch were called upon to aim from the spot.

Friday

Atletico men Fabrice Twagizimana and Jacques Tuyisenge were the other kickers who failed to convert while for Police it was Hassan Bukuru and Dieudonné Issa who wasted their efforts.

Police sailed to Friday afternoon’s semi-finals where they will meet APR, a team that won the Kagame Cup in 2004, 2007 and 2010. Police had never taken part previously.