Substitute Jimmy Kibengo’s second half strike gave Espoir FC a direct ticket to the second division playoffs after beating Ivoire Olympic 1-0 on Sunday, May 12, at Rusizi Stadium.

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Espoir, who were relegated from the topflight last season, were in dire need of a victory to secure their ticket to the playoffs without having to wait for the last game of the regular season.

The game kicked off with both teams resorting to long balls, as is often the case at Rusizi Stadium due to the poor pitch conditions.

As halftime approached, Espoir managed to create some scoring opportunities, but unfortunately, the first half ended with a barren draw as neither team manager to find the back of the net.

In the 46th minute, coach Marcel Lomami made a strategic substitution, bringing in striker Kibengo for Adolphe Nsanzingomayijuru.

And the substitution made an impact! Just 19 minutes into the second half, Kibengo broke the deadlock and scored the first goal of the match, giving the home team a 1-0 lead.

It was an exciting turn of events after some missed chances from both sides.

Ivoire Olympic, who had nothing to fight for, tried their best to pose a threat to the Rusizi-based team but their attempts were not good enough to breach the goal defended by Christian Kilembe.

The match ended 1-0 in favor of the home side.

Espoir has just become the second team from Group B to secure their spot in the playoffs. They join Vision FC, who defeated Miroplast FC 3-1 in a thrilling match on Saturday, May 11.