Ben Moussa plays down pressure claims despite Rayon defeat
Thursday, February 16, 2023
APR head coach Ben Moussa and Rayon Sports's Haringingo during a 1-0 defeat at the hands of bitter rivals Rayon Sports during a Rwanda Premier League derby on Sunday at Huye Stadium. Olivier Mugwiza

APR head coach Ben Moussa insists he is not under pressure despite his side's shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of bitter rivals Rayon Sports during a Rwanda Premier League derby on Sunday at Huye Stadium.

The tactician admits Rayon was the better side but refused to blame any of his players who he said instead did the best they could to get a good result.

"We have put in our best performance of the game. We wanted to end on a positive note but we failed to hit the target as Rayon Sports’ goalkeeper was the best player of the game,” Moussa said.

The victory not only ended APR’s dominance during the past four years but also saw Rayon close the gap to within just one point of the league summit.

ALSO READ: Rayon's revenge and five things we learned from the Rwandan derby

Despite the shock defeat, Moussa said he doesn’t feel any pressure as he remains confident that his side can keep going.

"There is no pressure. We have to keep on working hard and making sure that we create chances that will help us become lethal in front of goal in the next matches because we are still on top of the table and we want to win the league again,” he noted.

"We had like four chances to score in the first and second half but we didn’t score but for them, they just got one chance and scored. That’s what happened but we are not going to relax. We are going to do better in the next matches,” he added

APR return to action on Sunday, February 19, when they host Etincelles at Bugesera Stadium. They face Radjab Bizumuremyi’s team which is unbeaten during the past 10 games.

The military side sit top of the table with 37 points, a point clear of second, third and fourth-placed AS Kigali, Gasogi United and Rayon Sports who are level with 36 points respectively.