With the title race for the 2021/22 Rwanda Premier League looking wide open, some clubs are thriving in the topflight league after investing millions of Rwandan francs in building their attacking departments.
Some have lived up to expectations so far, but some duos have proved more lethal than the others after 11 match rounds into the new season.
Times Sport’s Eddie Nsabimana looks at the top four dangerous attacking partnerships in the topflight league:
Hussein Tshabalala & Ramadhan Niyibizi (AS Kigali)
AS Kigali may be struggling to keep their pace in the title race but the race would have been even worse had top-scorer Shabban ‘Tshabalala’ Hussein and promising striker Ramadhan Niyibizi not formed the most fearsome striking duo so far this season.
The duo has 10 goals between them with Shabban’s leading the scoring charts with six goals, including a brace he scored against Mukura on match day-11 last month before the league was suspended owing to a spike in Covid-19 new cases.
His partnership with Abubakar Lawal was among the best last season but the arrival of Niyibizi from Etincelles improved his work rate since he started to lead the line with the young attacker.
Skeptics wondered how Niyibizi would break into AS Kigali’s attack and earn a starting role but former head coach Eric Nshimiyimana put trust in the youngster and his performance has impressed everyone at the club, obviously except Lawal who was dropped on the bench as a result.
Shabban and Niyibizi, if they remain in shape, can power AS Kigali back into the title race.
Willy Onana Leandre & Youssef Rharb (Rayon)
After experiencing one of their worst league campaigns last season and they finished in a disappointing 7th place, Rayon Sports’ management acknowledged their failures and promised to make new signings ahead of the 2021/2022 term.
The club quickly delivered with two major imports; Cameroon-born Willy Onana Leandre and Moroccan Youssef Rharb – two of the best signings of the season not only at the Blues but also in the entire league, as their partnership continues to torment opponents.
Yousseff, who is on loan from Raja Casablanca, has established himself as a pass master, and the way the Moroccan number 10 reads Onana’s movements towards the goal has won the admiration of football pundits and fans alike.
Onana has five goals to his name and the majority of his goals came from Youssef’s assists.
Dany Usengimana & Muhajiri Hakzimana (Police)
Like AS Kigali, Frank Nuttall and his Police FC’s current performance does not position them among serious title contenders this season as they continue to drop points against clubs in the lower half of the 16-team league table.
One would wonder if the Serbian would be still in charge of the law enforcers’ side if new signings Dany Usengimana and Muhajiri Hakizimana had not been in fine form.
Hakizimana and Usengimana have been clinical in front of goal having scored four goals apiece, forming one of the most dangerous attacking partnerships in the domestic league thus far.
Police are fourth with 19 points, having registered five wins, four draws and two losses after 11 matches this season.
Samuel Chukwudi Nwosu & Peter Agblevor (Etoile de l’Est)
Etoile de l’Est may be fighting to avoid relegation but Chukwudi and Agblevor have shown that the club is only getting better.
From being told that he was not good enough to play for Rayon Sports to nearly helping the Ngoma-based outfit to end APR’s two-year unbeaten run in a 2-2 draw last month, Agblevor is enjoying the best days of his career at Etoile.
The Ghanaian has netted four times so far, including a brace against two-time reigning champions APR. He shares the goal tally with attacking partner with Samuel Chukwudi Nwosu.
The duo is increasingly understanding each other and their efficiency in front of goal could be the beginning of a nightmare season for defenders and goalkeepers.