Striker Musa Esenu and Heritier Luvumbu scored in either half as Rayon Sports on Tuesday defeated Police FC 2-1 in a crunch National Primus League result that brought the law enforcers’ six-game winning run to an end.
The match could have been suspended after just 35 minutes of action as rain flooded the pitch at Kigali Pelé Stadium, but match officials decided to resume it after it stopped raining.
Both teams started the game brightly but it was Rayon Sports who looked the more purposeful side with their direct attacking play.
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Rayon piled pressure on Police defense early on, pushing for an opener; their efforts paid dividends after just eight minutes as left-back Hakim Bugingo set up Musa Esenu who made no mistake to beat goalkeeper Onesime Rukundo to the ball to give the visitors an early lead.
With the Blues leading 1-0, Police stepped up their game as they sought for the equalizer. They had a glorious chance in the 19th minute as Muhadjiri Hakizimana stole the ball from Eric Ngendahimana from the midfield. His pass found Didier Mugisha but the striker's effort hit the post to the relief of the Rayon’s fans.
Despite being a goal down, Vincent Mashami’s men tried to drag the Rayon Sports players out so that they could exploit the spaces at the back in an attempt to equalize.
Hesbone Rutonesha’s pass found Abedi Bigirimana who also located Hakizimana with a one-time delivery before firing a shot which was saved by Rayon goalkeeper Simon Tamale.
Police FC were dominating ball possession until match officials had to temporarily suspend the game after 35 minutes of action as the pitch was waterlogged due to heavy rains.
As soon as it stopped raining, match officials and coaches from both sides agreed to resume the match instead of suspending it to the next day just like Kiyovu and Sunrise did over the weekend.
There were no further chances in the final 10 minutes of the first half as both teams went for a half time break with Rayon leading 1-0.
The second half saw coach Mohammed Wade bringing on Rashid Kalisa for Roger Kanamugire as he sought to stabilize his midfield.
Police FC tried to use the pace of skipper Dominique Savio Nshuti on the flanks to great effects as he proved to be a tough customer for Blues defenders.
Rayon launched an attack pushing to double the lead but Joackiam Ojera was denied a penalty as he claimed that defender Ally Kwitonda brought him down while clearing the danger. Head coach of Rayon Wade was not happy with the decision as he questioned the referee and got a yellow card.
Police never ceased to press as they tried to get an equalizer and, to soak pressure, Wade introduced Elie Ganijuru in the 75th minute to replace Charles Bbaale who failed to impress in as the tactician opted to only play on counterattacks.
With two minutes to end the game, Heritier Luvumbu punished Police in the 88th minute with the second goal as he put the game beyond the reach of the law enforcers.
A 2-0 scoreline was too difficult for Police to put up a turnaround.
But the player kept believing in a comeback the time Abedi Bigirimana pulled one back for Police FC in the 93rd minute.
However, Rayon held on to defend their lead until referee Jean Paul Ngabonziza blew the final whistle after four minutes of additional time.
The result saw Rayon keep their fourth position on the table with 20 points, three points adrift of table leaders Musanze FC.