APR FC were off to a disastrous debut to the Mapinduzi Cup as Rwandan striker Meddie Kagere and his Singida Big Stars came from a goal down to hand the Rwandan champions a 3-1 loss in their opening match of the competition which is underway in Zanzibar.

Thierry Froger’s side opened the scoring after just two minutes thanks to a fine free kick from star striker Victor Mbaoma before Singida equalized from the spot in additional time of the first half through Elvis Rupia after APR conceded a penalty as a result of goalkeeper Pavelh Ndzila’s foul in his zone.

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The Tanzanians dominated the game from the beginning of the second half until Moris Chukwus shot them ahead in the 75th minute capitalizing on another howler from Ndzila before Francy Kazadi netted the third goal in the 86th minute to take home another three points that helped them book a ticket to the quarterfinals.

APR return to action on Wednesday, January 3, when they face JKU SC of Zanzibar before capping off the group stages with a mouthwatering clash against Simba SC.

Mapinduzi Cup is a competition established by Zanzibar Football Federation (ZFF) in 1998 to mark Zanzibar’s Revolution Day, which is annually celebrated on January 12.

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APR is using the competition as part of their preparations for the second round of the 2023/24 Primus National League which begins on January 12.

It was initially only Zanzibari and Tanzanian clubs that participated until 2013 when foreign teams began to be invited. Tanzanian side Azam have won most titles in the competition, with a total of five, whilst Simba won it on three occasions.