SundayEtincelles vs Amagaju 3:30pmMukura vs Musanze FC

FridayGicumbi FC 0-1 SC Kiyovu

After guiding his side to second place in the Azam Rwanda Premier League table standing following a 1-0 victory over Gicumbi FC on Friday, SC Kiyovu head coach Andre Casa Mbungo has called on his players to show consistency heading into the next games.

Skipper Fabrice Kakule Mugheni scored the stunning winner in the 42nd minute to help SC Kiyovu jump to second spot with nine points, level with leaders Police FC, who are not in action this weekend, while Gicumbi remained 9th with six points after five rounds of matches played so far.

SC Kiyovu’s next league outing will be at home to Espoir, and Casa Mbungo has urged his troops to stay focused as, in his words, "only consistency will help us achieve our goals for the season.”

Former SEC, AS Kigali and Police coach said, "We’re happy to get three points here today because it was a tough match as we expected because Gicumbi wanted to win in-front of their home fans. Nonetheless, we need to stay focused and look how to get more points.”

"The league is too tough and the players need more consistency in the next games if we’re going to achieve our set goals,” he added.

He pleaded: "I am delighted after winning the game but we have a lot of work to do to be able to compete with the top teams. We’re trying to build a strong team, which can be consistent but it takes time to build a winning team.”

"When you look at the way we performed against Gicumbi, I think we have a chance to challenge in the top half of the table. All I need is patience from our fans and hard work from the players,” Casa Mbungo explained after his team’s third win of the campaign.

He further stated that, "Our aim is to keep winning our matches; we know it will be hard but we want to stay near the top of the table. The players and everyone around the team are motivated to do their jobs well.”

Gicumbi FC head coach Godfroid Okoko admitted that, "We came with a clear plan to win the game but it was difficult to execute it properly against a strong Kiyovu team. We are going to work and improve in areas that we’re still struggling.”

Last season, Gicumbi FC survived relegation on the last day despite losing to Pepiniere, while SC Kiyovu dropped to the second tier for the first time in the club’s 53-year history but got a second chance to stay after promoted Isonga FC withdrew from playing in the top flight.

Meanwhile, unbeaten Etincelles will be looking to get maximum points against Amagaju FC today afternoon at Umuganda Stadium, knowing that a win would take them top of the table.

Emmanuel Ruremesha’s team are in sixth place with six points, level with Amagaju, who are a place below on the table.

Victory for the Rubavu-based side will see them leapfrog Police FC at the summit of the table, thanks to the head to head between the two teams as Innocent Seninga’s team lost to Etincelles 3-1 on the first day of the season.

But if Pablo Nduwimana’s Amagaju FC wins the game, they will jump from 7th to second place, behind Police, who beat them 4-1 two weeks ago.

"We have an extra motivation for winning because a win takes us top of the table. We want to give our best to see if we can snatch all three points but we know we have to be patient as Amagaju are good side,” Ruremesha told Sunday Sport on Friday.

Fifth-placed Mukura Victory Sports, with seven points, will face bottom side Musanze FC at Huye Stadium.

However, matches involving Rayon Sports, APR, Police and AS Kigali have been postponed due to Amavubi’s CHAN 2018 playoff qualifier first leg against Ethiopia that will be played on Sunday in Addis Ababa.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw