Paske calms down title talk

DESPITE Saturday’s 3-0 win over Kiyovu, APR boss Erik Paske believes it’s too early to make conclusions about the title race. The reigning champions battered Jean Marie Ntagwabira’s side to signal their intent but Paske concedes that it was just another three points. “I don’t know why so many people talked up the game because for me, it was just another game that we had to win and I’m happy that we did,” the Dutch tactician said. Despite all the hype that has been heaped on Kiyovu, Saturday’s game showed that there is still a gulf between the sides. APR strolled to a comfortable victory at a fairly packed Amahoro stadium, with goals from Haruna Niyonzima and new signings Abbas Rassou and Omar Hitimana. After a barren first half, Rassou put APR ahead on the 77th minute and Kampala City Council (KCC)’s former versatile defender Hitimana double the lead two minutes later. Niyonzima, who was linked with a move to Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin after undergoing trials in the off season, put the icing on the cake with a superb free-kick on 90 minutes. While Paske insists that APR can sustain their challenge at the top, he remains unbending about premature talks of the title. “We still have a lot of work to do because we have a number of new players who are trying to fit into our system and style of play,” Paske who gave APR fans something to cheer about after guiding the club to last season’s league title noted. “We want to show consistency and I know that we have the quality in the side to do it. All we need is some time to gel as a team.” “Kiyovu made it hard for us to play in the first half because they were very aggressive but we upped our game in the second half and the goals starting coming,” a contented Paske said. The win was APR’s third on the trot and consolidated their lead at the top of the league table. For Kiyovu, Ntagwabira now has to revise his tactics after a second successive defeat. Last week, the club that was recently dubbed the ‘Manchester City of Rwanda’ was shockingly piped by newly promoted side Etincelles (1-0). Ends

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Paske calms down title talk