Sunday, August 25

Police 1-2 CS Constantine

Police will rue their first half missed chances as CS Constantine came from behind to beat them 2-1 at Kigali Pele Stadium on Sunday, August 25, in the second leg of the CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round.

The hosts let their ambitions of making a comeback noticed when Elijah Ani scored inside the first 20 minutes of the second leg encounter to halve their 2-0 deficit in Algeria but CS Constantine proved their superiority as they fought back to win the match in Kigali and advance to the next round with a 4-1 aggregate victory.

Police FC started brightly as they initiated their first attack in the first minute. Didier Mugisha, who was operating on the right side of attack, delivered a superb cross which was saved by goalkeeper Kherreidine Boussouf. The resultant corner kick was headed off target by Abedi Bigirimana.

Striker Ani missed a glorious chance on the seventh minute following a fine through ball from Bigirimana but he shot feebly and the ball was cleared.

Mounder Termine went past his Dennis Chimeze to head a brilliant ball from Houari Baouche in the 14th minute but Onesime Rukundo saved the danger.

Ani then made amends for the earlier miss and broke the deadlock in the 18th minute. He soared high above his marker to nod home a well taken free-kick on the right from Allan Kateregga to give Police FC the lead.

With Police FC 1-0 up, they dictated the pace of the game as hopes of making a turnaround increased. They switched their attack to the right where Didier Mugisha was looking dangerous.

Mugisha delivered a superb cross on the 30th minute which Muhadjiri Hakizimana, under no pressure, headed wide to the surprise of the fans.

Police FC lost the ball in midfield against the run and Zakaria Benchaa picked it up in the buildup. He run towards the Police FC goal before hitting a shot past Rukundo to make it 1-1 in the 40th minute to pull the scores even.

After the goal, Constantine players gained the needed confidence as they began to find spaces at the back of Police FC defenders.

Oussama Medahi hit a shot over the bar in the 43rd minute as the put Police FC under pressure in the final four minutes of the first half.

Though Police had created numerous chances in the first 45 minutes, the scores remained 1-1 until referee Gerson Esono signaled for the end of the first half.

Mashami brought on Simeon Iradukunda for Pacifique Ngabonziza in the 45th minute as he sought to strengthen his midfield.

Both teams sat deep and tried to catch the other on the counter using the flanks to great effects.

Mashami made his second substitution in the 55th minute, bringing on Chukwuma Odili for Allan Kateregga.

Police FC conceded the same type of goal in the 60th minute as they made a similar mistake by losing the ball in midfield. Mounder Termine picked a loose ball and raced towards goal; the Police defenders could not match his pace as he went on to slot it past Rukundo to make it 2-1 for the visitors.

Constantine head coach Kheireddine Madoui brought on Nigerian striker Tosin Omoyele for goal scorer Zakaria Benchaa in attack in the 70th minute as he switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation.

The away side took absolute control of the game as Police FC were pinned into their own half.

Mashami decided to alter his formation as he went for a flat 4-4-2. Mugisha moved from the wings to a central attacking role but it was obviously not the best decision from his coach as he struggled to make his impact felt again.

In the 80th minute, Djibrine Akuki came in for Muhadjiri Hakizimana who looked so exhausted and couldn't contend with the pace of the CS Constantine players.

The final 10 minutes of the game saw Police FC unable to cope with the tempo as the Algerians pushed for the third goal.

CS Constantine nearly scored the third goal in the 91st minute as fourth referee Antimo Avomo put five minutes of addition time. Substitute Omoyele had his rebound saved by goalkeeper Rukundo after he had struggled with the first effort.

The game ended 2-1 for Constantine as they cruised to the second round on a 4-1 aggregate victory. They will face Ghanaian outfit Nsoatreman FC.