SundayAPR FC vs Amagaju FC 3:30pmMarines FC vs Espoir FC Sunrise FC vs AS Kigali Kirehe FC vs Musanze FC

FridayRayon Sports 3-0 Police FC

Rayon Sports ensured a bright start to their quest for the 2016/17 national football league title after thumping rivals Police FC 3-0 in the opening match of the season played on Friday evening at Kigali Regional Stadium in Nyamirambo.

The 2013 league champions went in-front in the 20th minute though last season’s Player of the Year, Pierrot Kwizera and Burundian new signing Shassir Nahimana netted a second half brace to round off a comfortable evening for Djuma Masudi’s team.

"We knew we were going to play against a strong side which likes to play a very physically game, so we had to be well prepared and thankful we managed to execute our game plan effectively,” Masudi said in his post-match interview.

He added that, "Winning today is very important for us, especially being the first game of the season when anything can happen because teams are still in the pre-season mode.”

The win took Rayon Sports to the top of the table standing with three points while Police FC started to the season at the bottom with a -3 goal difference.

Police FC head coach Innocent Seninga, who was appointed to win the trophy this season, accepted defeat but noted that it’s still too early to panic.

"We are all disappointed in the manner in which we lost today, but it shows that we need to work hard and prepare for the rest of the season. We have started badly, that is the truth but we need to bounce back and win next game” said the former Etincelles coach.

Meanwhile, reigning champions APR FC start their title defence against Amagaju FC today at Kigali Regional Stadium; kick off at 3:30pm.

Yves Rwasamanzi’s side will be under a little bit of added pressure given that they go into their opening fixture after their biggest rivals won theirs on Friday.Marines FC hosts Rusizi-based Espoir FC at Umuganda Stadium, Nyagatare-based Sunrise FC take on AS Kigali at Kicukiro stadium due to the fact that their home turf was barred by FERWAFA because it was deemed unsuitable to host any of matches. Newly promoted Kirehe host Musanze in Ngoma.

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