Rayon Sports and APR FC, of Rwanda’s fiercest rivals, will square off in the final of the 2025 Peace Cup on May 10 after eliminating Mukura VS and Police FC in the semifinals on Wednesday. In-form attacker Abeddy Biramahire’s second half winner powered Rayon Sports past Mukura to reach the final on a 2-1 aggregate win. APR, on the other hand, advanced to the final with a 2-1 aggregate after beating Police FC 1-0 in an earlier semifinal second leg match at Amahoro Stadium thanks the lone goal from red hot striker Djibril Ouattara. The two teams had played out a 1-1 draw at Kigali Pele Stadium on April 15. Biramahire end Mukura dominance over the Blues The Rwanda international scored the only goal in the 74th minute as Rayon not only ended their three-game winless jinx against Mukura but also returned to the final two years after winning the cup. Biramahire, had also scored against the same side during the first leg in Huye, singlehandedly eliminated the Huye-based club which had not lost a match against Rayon in their previous three meetings this season. Rayon Sports dictated the pace of the game from the start but Mukura’s defense calmed the tempo to keep the home side at bay. Kevin Muhire had a chance in the 4th minute but his shot went over the bar. Mukura also had their first chance of the game in the 10th minute when Boateng Mensah beat Omar Gning and Youssou Diagne but saw his chipped shot being ripped to corner by Patience Ndikuriyo. ALSO READ: Oladosu'sstrike sinks Rayon in major title blow Rayon used their wing to great perfection as they tried to whip in crosses into the Mukura penalty box. Quick thinking on the part of Nicholas Sebwato deprived Rayon the opener in the 31st minute as the experienced goalkeeper came off from his line to save a dangerous ball from Biramahire. Rayon were unlucky not to have scored in the 38th minute. Zuberi Hakizimana lost the ball on the left flank. Biramahire went past Amiable Ntarindwa but saw his shot crush the post to the relief of the away team bench. The second half started brightly for Mukura as they missed two glorious chances in the space of two minutes. In response, an extremely tired Destin Malanda lost the ball in the Rayon Sports half and in a swift counter attack a pass was laid for Biramahire who beautifully finished in the 74th minute to give his side the lead. Rayon Sports resorted to time wasting until the final whistle. They will now face APR in what will be a rematch of the 2023 Peace Cup final. Rayon at the time won the cup thanks to lone goal from former midfielder Eric Ngendahimana. A first half header from red hot Burkinabe star Djibril Ouatarra did the magic for APR as they defeated Police FC 1-0 in the semifinal second leg to book a ticket to the final. Police started the game brightly with Didier Mugisha cutting in from the left and firing a shot inside six minutes of action but Pierre Ishimwe punched it in the corner. APR FC scored from their first chance of the game on the 27th minute when an unmarked Ouatarra soared high in the Police FC penalty box to head home a corner from Bosco Ruboneka. Police striker Elijah Ani missed a glorious chance to level the scores in the 40th minute as he agonizingly headed Christian Ishimwe’s curling free kick over the cross bar with goalkeeper Pierre Ishimwe already off his line. Lamine Bah nearly made it 2-0 for APR FC in the 60th minute with a fine solo effort through the middle but his final delivery missed the post by inches. Police FC head coach Vincent Mashami made double substitution, bringing in Chukwuma Odili and Simeon Iradukunda for Didier Mugisha and skipper Abedi Bigirimana in the 70th minute as he looked to push for an equalizer. Ani had a host of chances in the APR penalty box but was very jittery as he blew all of them away. As Police piled more pressure on APR, Darko Novic pulled out Lamine Bah for Aliou Souane in the 89th minute as he sought to defend his 1-0 lead and it worked for him as his men managed to defend their lead throughout the five minutes of additional time and qualified for the final. The final will take place on May 10.
