Jean Bosco Ruboneka netted a long-range outrageous goal in the first half to hand APR a close-fought 1-0 victory over AS Kigali in the first leg of Rwanda Peace Cup round of 16 on Wednesday at Kigali Pele Stadium.
The Rwandan midfielder received the ball on the left side – probably 40 yards from the goal – and casually unleashed a beautifully controlled right-footed strike, which hit the post before going into the back of the net in the 40th minute.
AS Kigali were resilient and resolute in the second half as they utterly dominated APR while seeking an equaliser, but Thierry Froger’s men managed to thwart them.
APR loanee Fiston Ishimwe put forth an incredible performance, even though his side fired a blank in a nail-biting contest.
The Rwanda Premier League (RPL) holders, who were missing their talisman Victor Mbaoma – the December 2023 RPL player of the month – who sustained an injury in the just-concluded Mapinduzi Cup, didn’t produce as many scoring chances as Guy Bukasa’s side did during the game. However, they did what must be done.
The two sides, who met in the 2021-22 final where AS Kigali were crowned victorious, will play their second leg on January 24.
All the round of 16 first-leg results:
Interforce 0-4 Rayon Sports
AS Kigali 0-1 APR
Vision 2-0 Musanze
Bugesera FC 4-0 Marine FC
Gorilla 2-0 Kiyovu Sports
Kamonyi 0-3 Police FC
Addax v Mukura (Postponed due to waterlogged pitch)
