Two second half goals from Kevin Ebene and Janvier Benedata were enough to hand AS Kigali a 2-0 win over Etincelles at Kigali Pele Stadium on Wednesday, December 27, hence qualifying for the second round of the 2023/24 Peace Cup with a 3-0 aggregate win.
It was a game whose beauty was spoiled by a soggy pitch as both teams labored to play a desired pattern.
Led by Felix Kone in attack, AS Kigali pinned the visitors into their own half but could not find the back of the net as the Etincelles defenders remained resilient before the halftime break.
Moise Nyarugabo was a tough customer on the flanks as he cut inside a couple of times pushing to open the scores.He teamed up with Kone in the 20th minute but he wasted the chance as Etincelles recovered the ball.
Etincelles star man Sadjat Niyonkuru also had some decent chances after finding his way behind Jean Bosco Akayezu but he squandered them.
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The second half saw AS Kigali maintaining their dominance and making inroads into the Etincelles vital area. Kevin Ebene shot the Citizens ahead with a sublime finish in the 68th minute before skipper of the day Janvier Benedata doubled the lead in the 70th minute to make it 2-0 and 3-0 on aggregate.
Etincelles tried to push more men forward as they sought to reduce the deficit but AS Kigali soaked the pressure and tried to hit them on the counter.
The final ten minutes of the game saw both teams creating fewer chances as the game came to an end with a victory in favor of AS Kigali.
Other games
Gorilla FC advanced to the second round of the Peace Cup after beating Intare FC 1-0 in the second leg as a second half strike from defender Samuel Nsengiyumva gave Gorilla FC a 1-0 win. Gorilla FC qualified on a 4-1 aggregate.
Elsewhere, in Nyamata, Bugesera FC beat Amagaju FC 1-0 to complete a 3-1 aggregate win over the Southern Province-based club.
City Boys also pipped Interforce by 1-0 whereas Sunrise FC sailed through to the round of 16 after beating Ivoire Olympique 4-3 on penalties. Both sides were tied on a 2-2 draw on aggregate.