Rayon Sports midfielder Pierrot Kwizera vies for the ball with APR’s Hakizimana Muhadjili who scored the lone goal of the game. Courtesy Photo
Ten-man APR Fc emerged victors of the first leg of the Rwandan derby as they defeated arch rivals Rayon Sports 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at Stade Amahoro in Kigali City.
Hakizimana Muhadjiri scored the lone goal in the 26th minute when he benefitted from a defensive lapse to strike a strong shoot past Rayon Sports goalie Eric Ndayishimiye. However, Hakizimana earned himself a yellow card as he removed his jersey to celebrate his stunning goal.
The former Mukura VS and AS Kigali star, Hakizimana turned from hero to villain as he he received marching orders from centre referee Louis Hakizimana in the 40th minute after when he was judged for having dived in the goal area to win a penalty following a 50-50 ball challenge with Eric Rutanga.
Thereafter, APR Fc played a a disciplined tactical defensive game for fifty minutes to frustrate Rayon Sports who created several goal scoring chances and dominated possession but failed to break the strong defense mounted by the military side.
Several chances from Kwizera Pierre, Diarra Ismailla, Mutsinze Ange and Shassir Nahimana were all saved by the instrumental APR Fc goalkeeper Kimenyi Yves.
The Blues dropped to fourth spot where they are jointly tied on 18 points with Police Fc and Sunrise Fc.
Since 1995, Rayon Sports Fc and APR Fc have created a bitter rivalry. Last year, it was the first time Karekezi faced against his former club APR where he started his playing career in 1998 until he turned professional in 2005.
Today’s derby between the two sides was the 85th official match in all competitions between the two teams and the 46th league meeting since 1995.
APR Fc have now managed 35 wins against Rayon Sports’ 23 while 27 games have ended in draws.
The military side also registered another milestone of winning such a rivalry clash in a space of less than month. On Heroes Day, February 1, 2018, APR Fc had defeated Rayon Sports 2-1 in the Heroes Cup tournament which was staged at Amahoro Stadium.
In another reschedscheduled game played on Sunday, Musanze Fc defeated lowly placed Miroplast Fc to move to ninth position with 13 points. Miroplast Fc remain rooted at bottom of the standings with 8 points in eleven matches played this season.
Azam Rwanda Premier League
Sunday
Match Day 10 Result
Rayon Sports Fc 0-1 APR Fc
Match Day 9 Result
Musanze Fc 2-0 Miroplast Fc
