Sunday APR 3-0 Marines Bugesera 0-1 Rayon Mukura 3-0 Gicumbi Drissa Dagnogo was the hero of the day as his solo strike inspired Rayon Sports to a vital 1-0 win over Bugesera on Sunday afternoon. The Côte d’Ivoire-born striker came off the bench to net the lone goal of the match at Bugesera Stadium in the 49th minute, completing a double for the Blues over Djuma Masudi’s side this season after Rayon had won the reverse encounter 2-1 last October. The 25-year old, who came on for Amran Nshimiyimana just a minute before scoring, joined the Rwanda Premier League reigning champions on a two-year deal in November 2019. Rayon could have extended their margin but scoring efforts from Maxime Sekamana, Ernest Sugira, Yannick Bizimana and Umar Sidibe were thwarted by goalie Masud Ntagungira and his defenders. In what arguably was the best chance for the hosts, forward Shaban ‘Tchabalala’ Hussein was denied by Rayon Sports stopper Yves Kimenyi in the 77th minute. However, despite the hard-fought victory, Rayon still trail leaders APR by four points after the latter thrashed Marines 3-0 at Kigali Stadium. Not only APR overwhelmed their fellow army side, but they also extended their unbeaten run to 19 matches this season. Left-back Emmanuel Imanishimwe opened the scoring in the 34th minute before young striker Lague Byiringiro doubled the army side’s lead on the stroke of halftime. Midfielder Olivier ‘Sefu’ Niyonzima completed the rout with five minutes to clock. In another match, Mukura also thumped struggling Gicumbi 3-0 at Huye Stadium, thanks to a brace from Abdul Maniru – a goal in either half – and Evode Ntwari’s strike in the 66th minute. As it stands after 19 match rounds, APR top the table with 45 points, four ahead of second-placed Rayon. Police are third at 40 points while Mukura complete top four with 31 points.
