CHAMPIONS: Rayon Sports win league after nine years

Match Day 25: Yesterday AS Kigali 2-0 Marines Amagaju 0-3 Police Espoir 2-3 Mukura Musanze 0-1 RayonAS Muhanga 1-1 SC Kiyovu Etincelles 1-0 Isonga La Jeunesse 1-0 APR Rayon Sports clinched the first Rwandan league title since 2004 after edging Musanze 1-0 in a Primus league match at Amahoro stadium yesterday. The win also pushes the team’s tally to 7 legue titles since 1968. Rayon Sports now has a five-point lead at the top of the standings. With just one round left, second-placed Police who thrashed Amagaju 3-0 away in Nyamagabe can no longer deny Rayon the cup. This is Rayon Sports’ seventh league title, and the first under Nyanza District investment, which took control of the club in November last year and spent over Rwf. 80 million to strengthen the squad. Burundian import Cedric Amissi was instrumental in leading Rayon Sports’ success despite a patchy start. The talismatic midfielder has scored 15 league goals so far. He has already surpassed the record 14 goals scored in the second half of the season set by Jimmy Gatete in 2005 for APR and Bokota Kamana in 2007 for Rayon. Going into the game against Musanze in need of only a draw, Rayon Sports displayed a poor first half play as they exhibited lack of concentration forcing them to go into recess with a goalless draw. The blues came recharged after recess with Amissi tapping in Karim Nizigiyimana’s cross to score past Jean Claude Nshimiyimana in the 48th minute. The classy goal sent the fully-packed stadium into wild celebrations as fans lifted cup replicas across the stadium singing their well known ‘murera’ song. Rayon Sports dominated the second half but missed many clear opportunities to increase the goal tally with Jean Claude Nshimiyimana playing a pivotal role in Musanze’s goal posts. Musanze had minimal chances to equalise as Congolese Wai Yeka tested Gerard Bikorimana twice in the dying minutes but could not find the net. When the final whistle sounded, Coach Didier Gomes da Rosa and his staff joined the players on the pitch. It was official. The French man had secured his historical first domestic title. Gomes who was unbeaten in 19 league matches with Rayon Sports said, “Rayon hadn’t won the league for nine years. It’s historical. We’ve fulfilled the objective of winning the Primus League.” The victory also sparked scenes of jubilation at the stadium and in Remera, Kigali City, where hundreds of fans gathered along the road. Rayon’s fortunes changed when Nyanza District took over last year, before the country’s most popular team relocated back to its ancestral home in the south. Rayon who have 57 points- last registered league success wayback in 2004 under Coach Raoul Shungu and again in 2005 when they won the Peace Cup. Rayon Sports currently are five points ahead of Police with one game to spare this season. Kagere Meddie, Jacques Tuyisenge and Frederick Ndaka earned a 3-0 victory for Police over Amagaju in Nyamagabe to maintain second spot with 53 points. Defending champion APR lost 1-0 to La Jeunesse at Mumena stadium with Robert Ngunga scoring the lone goal of the game in the first half. AS Kigali maintained sixth position with 36 points after a 2-0 win over twelveth Marines at Stade de Kigali. Seventh-placed Kiyovu forced AS Muhanga to a 1-all draw in Muhanga while Mukura came from behind to defeat Espoir 3-2 in Rusizi. In Rubavu, Etincelles beat fellow bottom side Isonga 1-0 courtesy of Arafat Bahame’s lone strike to leapfrog them into thirteenth position with 18 points, but still tied in the relegation zone unless they win their next game. The 2012/13 Primus National Football League comes to a climax on May 25, the day when Rayon Sports will be crowned champions officially.