Gasogi United put their crisis behind them to record a 1-1 draw with Kiyovu Sports at Kigali Pele Stadium in a Primus National League week 19 encounter on Saturday, February 3.
Gasogi owner Charles Nkuliza Kakooza put his decision to disband the club on hold and the players in full force as they put up a satisfactory performance against the Green Baggies who have also been going through an administrative crisis for the past couple of days after former president Jean Francois Regis Ndorimana handed in his resignation from the the position.
Both teams started the game brightly as they held onto the ball in order to draw their opponent forward.
Kiyovu's midfield led by Fred Muhoozi found spaces at the back of the Gasogi defense but they failed to utilize them.
The Mumena-based kept pressing for an opener until they broke the deadlock in the 13th through a fine finish from Hakim Tuyisenge.
Their lead, however, didn’t take long as Dany Niyongira restored parity for Gasogi six minutes later.
Sharif Bayo had a chance to increase the tally for Kiyovu in the 22nd minute but his effort was saved by Gasogi goalkeeper Ibrahima Daouda.
Gasogi, after the scare, got their acts together and started going through the middle where Christian Panzi was a delight to watch.
The forward played through at the edge of the Kiyovu vital area but saw his effort miss the target narrowly in the 29th minute.
Kiyovu head coach Joselin Bipfubusa decided to soak pressure and hit Gasogi on the counter. He used the speed of Muhozi effectively as the attacking midfielder latched onto a through ball from Tuyisenge in the 40th minute only to be denied by the quick thinking of goalkeeper Daouda.
The first half ended with both teams having a fair share of possession and the scores standing at 1-1.
The tempo of the game slowed down in the second half as both teams played with little urgency.
Kiyovu had the first chance in the second half in the 50th minute but Richard Kilongozi saw his effort wide.
Gasogi began to look swift in their attack with Akbar Muderi and Eric Mbirizi but their final delivery lacked the needed precision to trouble Kiyovu goalkeeper Djihad Nzeyurwanda.
It was an end-to-end action as both teams looked for the elusive second goal.
Muhoozi missed a header after finding himself unmarked in the Gasogi penalty box in the 76th minute after which Kilongozi also blasted an effort wide inside the same area.
Both teams created a host of decent chances in the final quarter of the hour but failed to utilize them as the match ended 1-1.
Other Games
Meanwhile, Mukura FC compounded Etoile de l'Est woes as they traveled to Ngoma Stadium to beat the relegation-threatened team 2-0. Elie Tatou and Bruno Ronie were the scorers.
Elsewhere, in Nyamata, Sunrise beat Bugesera FC 2-0 against. Prosper Nzabonimpa opened the scoring from the spot before Yafesi Mubiru added the second.