A 78th minute strike from Patrick Murenzi proved to be the winner as Sunrise FC came from a goal down to beat Police FC 2-1 in a Primus National League week 16 encounter held at Nyagatare Stadium on Sunday, January 13.
Police head coach Vincent Mashami paraded a strong starting lineup, introducing new signing Peter Agblevor upfront with in-form Abedi Bigirimana and Muhadjiri Hakizimana leading the club's attacking midfield just behind the Ghanaian.
Sunrise head coach Jackson Mayanja, on the other side, decided to pack his midfield and leave Samson Babuwa as his lone attacker.
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After the early exchanges, Police FC piled incessant pressure on Sunrise FC with Peter Agblevor having some good chances but he was on different occasions denied by goalkeeper Didier Mfashingabo.
Sunrise also posed some attacking threat against the visitors as they pushed to break the deadlock. Midfielder Vedaste Niyibizi was a delight to watch for the home side, putting in incessant passes toward Police’s penalty box but Sunrise still failed to have the cutting edge.
Hakizimana and Bigirimana were so dominant in midfield as Sunrise FC skipper Leon Uwambazimbana struggled to match their pace and artistry. Both sides had glorious chances in the first half but neither could capitalize them as they headed into halftime level with a barren score.
After recess, Police FC's dominance yielded dividends as Hakizimana fired them ahead in the 47th minute through a penalty. It was his 10th league goal so far this season.
Sunrise FC then took control of the game as they pinned Mashami’s side into their own half to the extent that the likes of Hakizimana and Bigirimana did not have the freedom to move
Brian Ssali restored parity for Sunrise FC in the 77th minute after which Patrick Murenzi netted a fabulous goal in the 78th minute to complete a dramatic 2-1 turnaround in just two minutes, sending the home fans into a frenzy mood.
The two teams were very resolute at the back as they left no spaces for the other to explore in the final ten minutes of the game.
Sunrise will have to thank defenders Franklin Onyeabor and Mwizerwa Elysa who made some decent tackles to prevent the rampaging Police FC attack from causing havoc to keep all three points in Nyagatare.
Despite the stumbling defeat, Police FC remain second on the league table with 31 points whereas Sunrise moved up to 11th with 19 points.
Other games
Muhazi United held Kiyovu Sports to a 1-1 draw at Ngoma Stadium. Djuma Nizeyimana scored opened the scores for Kiyovu before Romeo Nduwimana pulled even for the home team.