The Republican Guard football team won their third straight RDF Liberation Cup tournament after defeating BMTC Nasho 3-0 in the 2024 final match held at Kigali Pelé Stadium on Sunday, June 16.
RG, who came in the game looking to defend their title, reached the final after edging 3 Division 3-1 in the semifinal to set a date with BMTC Nasho who had earned their final spot after defeating Combat Training Centre (CTC) Gabiro.
A notable highlight of the match was the presence of Major General Willy Rwagasana who was named in RG’s starting lineup as the captain of the team which also featured President Paul Kagame’s son, Ian Kagame.
The first half saw both teams primarily battling in midfield with few clear chances. The first scoring opportunity came in the 15th minute when Rwagasana’s long-range drive was saved by Nasho’s goalkeeper, resulting in a corner.
Rwagasana had 40 minutes of action before he was substituted by Maike Shema as Ian Kagame took over the armband.
Shema made an immediate impact as he headed home a free kick set piece from Pierre Ndagijimana in the 45 1 minute to give RG the lead before the teams headed into halftime.
Coming into second half, RG continued where they stopped in the first half as James Shyaka made it 2-0 in the 59th minute with a stunning direct free kick which found the far top corner.
In the 71st minute, Shema scored his second goal of the game, sealing the victory for RG at 3-0 to win the title, the second silverware for the them, having also won the RDF Inter-force football championship in January.
In other sports, RG were also triumphant in volleyball after beating BMTC Nasho again in the final while Task Force (TF) finished third.
In handball, the women's category was won by Rwanda Military Academy (RMA) Gako after they beat Special Operations Force (SOF) in the final.
Rwanda Air Force (RAF) beat RMA Gako in the final to clinch the netball title while Military Police (MP) Brigade won the third place.
Additionally, RMA won the basketball trophy by defeating BMTC Nasho, while General Headquarters (GHQ) secured third place.